Tiếng Anh 10 - Chapter 14: The wedding

Nội dung text: Tiếng Anh 10 - Chapter 14: The wedding

1. LES MISERABLES dear boy, to eat more meat and get better soon. Then you can marry your Cosette By VICTOR HUGO and be happy.’ Chapter 14 Having said this, the old man burst into tears. He held Marius’s head to his The Wedding chest and they cried together. ‘Grandfather,’ Marius said at last, ‘I’m feeling much better already, when can I Marius lay for a long time between life and death in a state of fever, endlessly see her?’ repeating the name of Cosette. ‘You can see her tomorrow.’ ‘He mustn’t get excited,’ the doctor warned. Every day, according to one of ‘Why not today?’ the servants, a white-haired, well-dressed gentleman came to ask for news of the ‘All right, I’ll fetch her today. You’ve called me “grandfather”; you’ve shown sick man. me that you love me after all. You’ve earned your reward! Finally, after three months, the doctor announced that Marius was out of * * * danger. But he had to spend the next two months resting because of the damage Later that day, Cosette arrived at M. Gillenormand’s house. Standing beside to his shoulder. M. Ciillenormand grew happier as his grandson’s condition her on the doorstep was a white-haired man with a strangely nervous smile. improved. He did strange, unexpected things, like running up and down stairs M. Gillenormand showed them up to the room where Marius was waiting. without knowing why. He gave his neighbour, a pretty woman, a bunch of Cosette stood in the doorway, overcome with happiness. She wanted to throw flowers, which greatly annoyed her husband. herself into Marius’s arms, but was unable to move, afraid to show the world Marius, meanwhile, tried to make sense ofwhat had happened to him. He that she loved him. thought about Enjolras and Eponine, and wondered why Cosette’s father had ‘Monsieur.’ M. Gillenormand addressed Jean Valjean. ‘I have the honour, on been at the barricade. He could not understand why nobody could tell him how behalf of my grandson, Marius Pontmercy, to ask for your daughter’s hand in he had been saved. marriage.’ All he knew was that he had been brought to his grandfather’s house in a JeanValjean bowed. carriage. He noticed his grandfather’s tenderness towards him, but he could not ‘Good, then that is agreed,’ M. Gillenormand said and, turning to Marius and forget the old man’s unfairness and cruelty to his father, who had died penniless Cosette, he added, ‘My children, you are free to love one another.’ and unloved. Most of all, however, he thought about Cosette, and how he could When they were alone together, Cosette and Marius kissed. find her again. ‘Is it really you?’ Cosette murmured at last. ‘I can’t believe it. I’m so happy to ‘There’s something I have to say to you,’ Marius told his grandfather one day. see you. I was so excited today that I haven’t even dressed up for you. I must ‘What is it?’ look terrible. But why don’t you say something? Why are you letting me do all ‘I want to get married.’ the talking? Do you still love me? Oh, I’m so wild with happiness ’ ‘My love ‘But of course,’ the old man laughed. ’ Marius whispered. ‘What do you mean — of course?’ * * * ‘That’s understood. You will have your little girl.’ The wedding was arranged for February the following year. JeanValjean ‘I don’t understand,’ Marius said, almost speechless with amazement. arranged everything. Having been a mayor, he knew how to solve an awkward ‘You will have her,’ the old man repeated. ‘She comes here every day in the problem: the question of Cosette’s real family. He told everybody that he was shape of an old man who asks for news of you. While you’ve been ill, she’s not her father, but her guardian. He also invented a dead family for Cosette, so spent her time crying and making bandages for you. I know all about her. She that everybody believed she was an orphan, Valjean, as her guardian, gave lives at Number 7, rue de FHomme-Arme. You see, I’m not as unkind as you Cosette a large amount of money — half a million francs — but did not tell her think. I’ve found out that she’s a charming girl and that she loves you. I knew that the money was his. He told her that the money came from a man who you were angry with me, and I thought, “What can I do to make him love me?” preferred to remain unknown. It was arranged that the couple, who could not Then I thought, “I can give him Cosette.” I wanted to invite her to see you, but believe their sudden, new-found happiness, would live with M. Gillenormand the doctor warned me that you would probably get too excited. So I advise you, after the wedding. AUDIOBOOK VICTOR UGO – LES MISERABLES – CHAPTER 14
2. Cosette, accompanied by Jean Valjean, visited Marius every day. Marius did longer the most important man in her life. Another man was the centre of her not speak much to Valjean. Despite enjoying an occasional conversation with universe. He was proud of having helped to bring her happiness with Marius, but him, he found something strange about the old man. He could not believe that another thing troubled his soul; the fact that nobody, not even Cosette, knew the this was the same man he had seen at the barricade all those months ago — it truth about him. That he was Jean Valjean, a criminal who had spent nineteen seemed like a bad dream to him. years in prison and who had stolen silver candlesticks from a trusting and kind- But there were more important things for Marius to think about. Apart from hearted bishop. He knew that if he told Cosette and Marius the truth, he would preparing for his wedding, there were two people that he wanted to find. First, spoil everybody’s happiness and he would lose their love and respect. On the there was Thénardier, other hand, if he continued to lie about his past, he would lose his own soul. He was, without doubt, a bad man, but Marius had promised his father to find What could he do? him and help him. He employed agents to find Thénardier, but without success. The only thing they discovered was that Mme Thénardier had died, and that her * * * husband had escaped from prison and disappeared with his surviving daughter, The next day Valjean visited M, Gillenormand’s house, and asked to speak to Azelma. Marius in private. Marius hugged Valjean warmly, addressed him as ‘father’ and Second, there was the mysterious stranger who had saved his life. Marius’s invited him to lunch, but Valjean shook his head and said,‘Monsieur, I have attempts to find him also ended in failure, and the true story of his escape from something to tell you.’ the barricade remained a complete mystery to him. Marius listened quietly as Valjean told him everything about his life. Finally, One evening, when Marius was talking to Cosette and Jean Valjean about the in a state of shock and confusion, the young man said, ‘Why have you told me mystery and his unsuccessful attempts to solve it, he became angry with aU this? No one forced you to.’ Cosette’s guardian’s lack of interest in his story. ‘If I had continued to keep my secret to myself, I would have destroyed my ‘The man was a hero,’ Marius said. ‘Do you realize. Monsieur, how brave this own heart,’ Valjean replied. ‘Besides, I belong to no family, Cosette was the man was? He rescued me from the field of battle and carried me through the only family I ever had. Everything ended for me when she married you sewers of Paris. He risked his life to save a dying man, and why? He was a total yesterday, she is happy with the man she loves. I tried to persuade myself that it stranger. He did it without any thought of a reward. Oh, I wish Cosette’s money would be better not to admit the truth about my past, but it was no use. I could were mine.’ not silence the voice that speaks to me when I am alone.’ ‘It is yours,’ Valjean reminded him. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Then Marius murmured,‘Poor ‘I would give it all,’ said Marius,‘to find that man!’ Cosette, When she hears Jean Valjean was silent. ‘But you must promise not to tell heri’Valjean interrupted. ‘She’ll be heart- * * * broken if she hears the truth about me. I don’t think I could bear it ’ Cosette and Marius made 3 handsome couple on their wedding day. All He sank into an armchair and buried his face in his hands. previous unhappiness was forgotten as they kissed in the church, watched ‘Don’t worry,’ Marius said at last. ‘I’ll keep your secret. But I think it would be proudly by M. Gillenormand and Jean Valjean. better if you stopped seeing her.’ There were flowers everywhere when they returned to M. Gillenormand’s ‘I understand,’Valjean said, rising to leave. But at the door he half-turned and house for the wedding feast. It was the happiest night of Cosette’s life, spoilt said, ‘Monsieur, if you will permit me, I would like to come and see her. I only by one thing: the fact that her guardian whom she still thought of as her wouldn’t come often or stay very long. We could meet in that little room on the father went home before the feast had started, saying that he felt ill. But Cosette ground floor. Please Monsieur, if I can’t see Cosette again, I’ll have nothing left was not unhappy for long. She had Marius, and she would be happy with him for to live for. Besides, if I suddenly stopped visiting, people would become the rest of her life! suspicious and begin to talk ’ Jean Valjean, meanwhile, went home, lit his candle and went upstairs to bed. ‘You can come every evening,’ said Marius. That night, however, he was unable to sleep. He remembered the little girl he ‘Monsieur, you are very kind,’ said Jean Valjean, shaking Marius’s hand and had rescued from the Thénardiers ten years earlier, and felt sad that he was no leaving the room. The last chapter AUDIOBOOK VICTOR UGO – LES MISERABLES – CHAPTER 14