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you in his hand for the purpose of getting a good look at you
close to, and then dropped you. Only, he meant to place you
in a man’s convent; he made a mistake. Come, there goes
another peal, that is to order the porter to go and inform
the municipality that the dead-doctor is to come here and
view a corpse. All that is the ceremony of dying. These good
ladies are not at all fond of that visit. A doctor is a man who
does not believe in anything. He lifts the veil. Sometimes he
lifts something else too. How quickly they have had the doc-
tor summoned this time! What is the matter? Your little one
is still asleep. What is her name?’
‘Cosette.’
‘She is your daughter? You are her grandfather, that is?’
‘ Ye s .’
‘It will be easy enough for her to get out of here. I have
my service door which opens on the courtyard. I knock.
The porter opens; I have my vintage basket on my back, the
child is in it, I go out. Father Fauchelevent goes out with his
basket—that is perfectly natural. You will tell the child to
keep very quiet. She will be under the cover. I will leave her
for whatever time is required with a good old friend, a fruit-
seller whom I know in the Rue Chemin-Vert, who is deaf,
and who has a little bed. I will shout in the fruit-seller’s ear,
that she is a niece of mine, and that she is to keep her for me
until to-morrow. Then the little one will re-enter with you;
for I will contrive to have you re-enter. It must be done. But
how will you manage to get out?’
Jean Valjean shook his head.
‘No one must see me, the whole point lies there, Father