Tiếng Anh 10 - Chapter 13: The sewers of paris

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1. LES MISERABLES fresh air. He laid Marius down gently at the edge ofthe sewer, and looked down at his By VICTOR HUGO face. It was covered with blood and as pale as death. Valjean tore pieces off his own shirt and bandaged Marius’s wounded shoulder as well as he could. Then, bending over Chapter 13 the unconscious body, Valjean stared at Marius with hatred in his eyes. The Sewers of Paris He found two objects in Marius’s clothing: a piece of bread and a wallet.Valjean ate Marius had indeed been taken prisoner, but not by the soldiers. It was Jean Valjean’s the bread and, opening the wallet, found a note which Marius had written: hand that had caught him as he fell. Valjean had taken no part in the battle. He had been My name is Marius Pontmercy. My body must be taken to the house looking after wounded men while bullets flew all around him. when Marius had been of my grandfather, M. Gillenormand, 6 rue des Filles-duCalvaire, hit, Valjean ran to him at once, grabbed him before he fell and carried his unconscious in the Marais. body into a small alley behind the wine shop. Valjean lowered Marius to the ground, Valjean repeated the address until he could remember it, returned the wallet to stood with his back to the wall and looked around him. Marius’s pocket, picked Marius up again and continued his journey downwards towards The situation was terrible. There seemed to be no escape. On one side of him was the the river. He did not know what part of the city he was passing under or how far he had field of battle. On the other side was the low barricade, behind which hundreds of come. The only thing he was sure of was that the light through the grilles far above his soldiers waited for rebels trying to escape. Both ways meant certain death. It was a head was growing weaker, which meant that the sun was setting. At one point he had to situation that only a bird could have escaped from.Valjean looked desperately around walk waist-deep through water, and almost sank as the ground turned,to sand beneath him, at the house opposite, the barricade, the ground. And then he had a sudden idea! his feet. Finally, when even his great strength was beginning to fade, he saw ahead of At the foot of the smaller barricade, half-hidden by broken stones and pieces of wood, him a light — the clear light of day. He was suddenly filled with new energy at the there was a hole in the road covered with an iron grille. Valjean leapt forward and, using sight, at last, of his way of escape from the sewers Forgetting the weight of Marius on all his strength, he moved the stones and wood, opened the grille, lifted Marius on to his his shoulders and his own hunger and tiredness, he ran towards the light. He had to bend shoulders and climbed down into the darkness. as the roof of the tunnel became lower, but when he reached the light, Valjean stopped A few minutes later, he found himself in a long underground passage, a place of and gave a cry of despair. The opening was closed with a strong iron gate, held firm by absolute peace and silence. He was inside the Paris sewers. He could just see, by the a huge, rusty lock. Through the bars, Valjean could see daylight, the river, a narrow grey light from the grille above his head, that he was surrounded by walls. Ahead of him riverbank — but how could he get out? lay total darkness, but he had to go on. The soldiers might discover the grille by the Valjean laid Marius down by the wall, where the floor was dry. Then, moving to the barricade at any moment, and come down in search of him. gate, he shook it fiercely with both hands, trying to bend the bars with the last of his With Marius lying across his shoulders, Valjean walked forward into the darkness, strength. But the gate was solid and the bars were firm. feeling his way along the wet, slippery walls with his hands. He moved from one Valjean turned his back to the gate and sank to the ground, his head bowed between passage into another, slipping several times on the wet floor. He could not see where he his knees. There was no way out and, as all hope of escape left him, he began to think of was going, but he knew he had to follow the downward slope of the passages towards Cosette. the river. ♦ ♦ ♦ He walked blindly downwards in this way for a long time, his clothes wet with the While in this state of despair, Valjean felt a hand on his shoulder. He thought he was blood from Marius’s wound, the faint whisper of the young man’s breath in his ear. He dreaming. He looked up and saw a man dressed in old clothes standing beside him. walked in total darkness, the silence broken occasionally by the thunder of gun carriages Despite the unexpectedness of this meeting, Valjean recognized the man at once. It was and horses racing along the streets of Paris far above his head. Thénardier. Valjean did not show that he recognized the man, and saw with relief that Suddenly, he saw his own shadow on the floor of the passage in front of him. Looking Thénardier had not recognized him. back, he saw the distant light of a torch. He was being followed! He pressed himself ‘I’ll make a bargain with you,’ the man said. against the wall, held his breath and waited. In the distance, a group of men formed a ‘What do you mean?’ circle around the torchlight. They seemed to be listening for something, waiting for Thénardier nodded in Marius’s direction. someone to move. Finally, the group of men moved off along another passage, and ‘You’ve killed a man. Give me half of what you found in this man’s pockets, and I’ll Valjean was left in total darkness once again. unlock the gate for you.’ He produced a large key from his pocket, and a piece of He continued his journey through the sewers. Sometimes the roof of the passages was rope.‘I’ll give you this as well,’ he said. ‘Then you can tie stones to the body and throw so low that he had to bend down as he walked. His feet slipped all the time in the water it in the river.’ on the ground, and he felt sick and faint with the terrible, airless smell. At last, Valjean took the rope without speaking. exhausted, he stopped beneath a large grille that brought him much-needed light and ‘What about my share of the money?’Thénardier asked. AUDIO BOOK VICTOR HUGO – LES MISERABLE ~ CHAPTER 13
2. Valjean took thirty francs from his pockets and showed it to Thénardier, who stared While one servant ran to find a doctor and another looked for clean sheets,Valjean felt with disbelief. ‘You killed a man for just thirty francs? You’re a fool.’ He searched Javert’s hand on his arm. He understood, and went downstairs with Javert close behind Marius’s pockets himself, and then Valjean’s. him. when they had got back into the carriage, however, Valjean said,‘Inspector, will ‘It’s true,’ he said at last.‘That’s all there is. Oh well. Never say that I’m not a kind you do one last thing for me before you arrest me?’ man.’ ‘What is it?’Javert replied impatiently. He took the thirty francs and, helping Valjean to lift Marius on to his shoulders, he put ‘Let me go home for a minute. After that, you can do whatever you want with me.’ the key in the lock and opened the gate just wide enough forValjean to pass through. Javert was silent for some moments, his chin sunk in the collar of his overcoat. Then When Valjean was outside, Thénardier closed the gate behind him and disappeared, like he pulled down the window in front ofhim. a rat, into the darkness of the sewers. ‘Number 7, rue de I’Homme-Arme,’ he told the driver. ♦ ♦ ♦ Neither man spoke during the journey. At the end of the rue de I’Homme-Arme, which Valjean laid Marius gently on the grass and stood up, surrounded by silence, enjoying was too narrow for the carriage to enter, Javert paid the driver and accompanied Valjean the feeling of fresh air on his face. Then,just as he was bending to splash water from the to his front door on foot. river on Marius’s face, he was aware of someone else standing behind him. He looked ‘Go in,’ said Javert, with a strange, distant look in his eyes. ‘I’ll wait for you here.’ round quickly and saw a tall man in a long coat, a large stick in his hand. Although the Valjean went into his house and called,‘It’s me!’ Climbing the stairs, he paused for a man’s face was hidden in shadow,Valjean recognized him as Inspector Javert. moment to look out of the window to see what Javert was doing. But the street was Javert, however, did not recognize Valjean at first. He had been more interested in empty there.; there was no one. catching Thénardier, who had escaped from prison and was known to be in the area. The next morning, Inspector Javert’s body was discovered floating in the river. The ‘Who are you?’ he asked. poor man, unable to understand the kindness and gentle nature of the man he had spent Valjean told him his name and stood, without moving, as Javert approached and stared his whole life hating, had taken his own life by jumping from a bridge. It the only way into his eyes. he knew to escape the confusion that poisoning his heart. ‘Inspector Javert,’ Valjean said quietly. ‘I beg you to do me one favour. I promise not ♦ ♦ ♦ to try and escape. I gave you my address this morning, ifyou remember, so you would When M. Gillenormand saw his pale, lifeless-looking grandson lying on the sofa, he know where to find me anyway.’ shook from head to foot. Leaning against the door for support, he murmured,‘Marius!’ Javert did not seem to hear. He stared into Valjean’s eyes for a long time, then, ‘He has just been brought here,’ said a servant.‘He was on the barricade and stepping back with a look of confusion in his eyes, asked dreamily, ‘What are you doing ‘He’s dead!’ cried the old man in a terrible voice. ‘The fool! He did this to hurt me, the here? Who is this man?’ ungrateful boy. I try to be good to him, and this is how he rewards me!’ ‘Will you help me to take him home?’ Valjean said. ‘He’s badly injured.’ The old man walked to the window and, while he complained to the night about the Javert looked unhappy, but he did not refuse. Bending down, he took a handkerchief pain and grief his grandson had caused him, the doctor arrived. After listening to from his pocket, wet it in the river and bathed Marius’s blood-stained forehead. Then he Marius’s heart, he organized his removal to a bed in another room, and returned to felt Marius’s wrist. M. Gillenormand, who was still standing by the window. ‘He’s dead,’ he said. ‘Will he live?’ M. Gillenormand asked, his eyes wild with fear, ‘No, not yet,’Valjean replied, feeling in Marius’s jacket for the wallet. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I don’t know,’ the doctor replied. ‘The wound to his body is not serious, but. there are showing Javert the note with Marius’s grandfather’s address.‘That’s where we need to deep cuts on his head. It’s difficult to say . ., ’ take him.’ M. Gillenormand went to Marius’s bedside. Javert shouted to the driver who was waiting for him to bring his carriage close to the ‘You heartless boy,’ he said angrily. ‘A fool who prefers fighting to dancing and river. With Marius in the back seat, Valjean and Javert side by side in the front, the having fun. what kind of man are you? Are you mad? But it makes no difference. I too carriage drove off quickly through the dark and strangely empty streets of Paris. shall die. That makes you a murderer, a cold-hearted killer. I cannot feel grief for you When they arrived at M. Gillenormand’s house, a servant answered the door. ’ ‘Does M. Gillenormand live here?’Javert asked. At that moment, Marius’s eyes slowly opened and his gaze rested upon M. ‘Yes. What do you want?’ Gillenormand. ‘We’re bringing back his grandson. He’s dead. Go and wake his grandfather. We’re ‘Marius!’ the old man cried, ‘Marius, my child, grandson! You’re alive after all! bringing him in.’ Javert, Valjean and the driver carried Marius into the house and laid him gently on a Chapter 13 sofa in M. Gillenormand’s sitting-room. AUDIO BOOK VICTOR HUGO – LES MISERABLE ~ CHAPTER 13
3. M. Gillenormand Thénardier AUDIO BOOK VICTOR HUGO – LES MISERABLE ~ CHAPTER 13