CHAPTER IV.
THE REMARKS OF THE CHIEF LODGER.
Jean Valjean was so prudent as never to go out by day; every eveninghe walked out for an hour or two, sometimes alone, but generally withCosette in the most retired streets, and entering the churches atnightfall. When he did not take Cosette with him, she remained with theold woman; but it was her delight to go out with him. She preferredan hour with him to the ravishing _têtes-à-têtes_ with Catherine. Hewalked along holding her by the hand, and talking pleasantly with her,for Cosette's temper turned to be extremely gay.
The old woman cleaned, cooked, and bought food for them; they livedquietly, always having a little fire, but as if they were very poor.Jean Valjean had made no change in the furniture since the firstday, except that he had a wooden door put up in place of the glassdoor in Cosette's sleeping closet. He still wore his yellow coat,black breeches, and old hat, and in the streets he was taken for apoor man. It happened at times that charitable women turned and gavehim a sou, which Jean Valjean accepted with a deep bow. It happenedat times also that he met some wretch asking for charity; in such acase he looked behind him to see that no one was watching, furtivelyapproached the beggar, gave him money,--now and then silver,--andhurried away. This entailed inconveniences, for people began to knowhim in the district under the name of the alms-giving beggar. The oldchief lodger, a spiteful creature, full of envy and uncharitablenesstoward her neighbors, watched him closely, though he did not suspectit. She was rather deaf, which rendered her prone to gossip, and thereremained to her from the past two teeth, one atop and one at bottom,which she constantly rattled against each other. She questionedCosette, who, knowing nothing, could say nothing except that she camefrom Montfermeil. One day this spy saw Jean Valjean go into one of theuninhabited rooms in a way that seemed to her peculiar. She followedhim with the stealthy step of an old cat, and was able to watch him,herself unseen, through the crack of the door, to which Jean Valjeanturned his back, doubtless as a greater precaution. She saw him takeout of his pocket a pair of scissors, needle, and thread, and thenbegin ripping up the lining of his coat, and pull out a piece of yellowpaper, which he unfolded. The old woman recognized with horror thatit was a thousand-franc note, the second or third she had seen in herlife, and she fled in terror. A moment after Jean Valjean addressedher, and requested her to change the note for him, adding that it washis half-year's dividend, which he had received on the previous day."When?" the old woman thought; "he did not go out till six in theevening, and the Bank is certainly not open at that hour." The oldwoman went to change the note and made her conjectures; the amountof money being considerably multiplied, afforded a grand topic ofconversation for the gossips of the Rue des Vignes St. Marcel.
A few days after it happened that Jean Valjean, in his shirt-sleeves,was chopping wood in the passage, and the old woman was in his roomcleaning up. She was alone, for Cosette was admiring the wood-chopping.She saw the coat hanging on a nail, and investigated it. The lining hadbeen sewn up again, but the good woman felt it carefully, and fanciedshe could notice folds of paper between the cloth and the lining. Morebank-notes, of course! She also noticed that there were all sorts ofthings in the pockets; not only the needles, scissors, and threadshe had seen, but a large portfolio, a big clasp knife, and, mostsuspicious fact of all, several different colored wigs. Each pocket ofthis coat seemed to be a species of safeguard against unexpected events.
The inhabitants of the house thus reached the last days of winter.