BOOK F SECOND. THE FALL***
CHAPTER I. THE EVENING OF A DAY OF WALKING***
Early in the month of October, 1815, about an hour before sunset, a man who was travelling on foot entered the little town of D---- The few inhabitants who were at their windows or on their thresholds at the moment stared at this traveller with a sort of uneasiness. It was difficult to encounter a wayfarer of more wretched appearance. He was a man of medium stature, thickset and robust, in the prime of life. He might have been forty-six or forty-eight years old. A cap with a drooping leather visor partly concealed his face, burned and tanned by sun and wind, and dripping with perspiration. His shirt of coarse yellow linen, fastened at the neck by a small silver anchor, permitted a view of his hairy breast: he had a cravat twisted into a string; trousers of blue drilling, worn and threadbare, white on one knee and torn on the other; an old gray, tattered blouse, patched on one of the elbows with a bit of green cloth sewed on with twine; a tightly packed soldier knapsack, well buckled and perfectly new, on his back; an enormous, knotty stick in his hand; iron-shod shoes on his stockingless feet; a shaved head and a long beard.
The sweat, the heat, the journey on foot, the dust, added I know not what sordid quality to this dilapidated whole. His hair was closely cut, yet bristling, for it had begun to grow a little, and did not seem to have been cut for some time.
No one knew him. He was evidently only a chance passer-by. Whence came he? From the south; from the seashore, perhaps, for he made his entrance into D---- by the same street which, seven months previously, had witnessed the passage of the Emperor Napoleon on his way from Cannes to Paris. This man must have been walking all day. He seemed very much fatigued. Some women of the ancient market town which is situated below the city had seen him pause beneath the trees of the boulevard Gassendi, and drink at the fountain which stands at the end of the promenade. He must have been very thirsty: for the children who followed him saw him stop again for a drink, two hundred paces further on, at the fountain in the market-place.[...]
Summary
BOOK F SECOND. THE FALL
CHAPTER I. THE EVENING OF A DAY OF WALKING
CHAPTER II. PRUDENCE COUNSELLED TO WISDOM
CHAPTER III. THE HEROISM OF PASSIVE OBEDIENCE
CHAPTER IV. DETAILS CONCERNING THE CHEESE-DAIRIES OF PONTARLIER
CHAPTER V. TRANQUILITY
CHAPTER VI. JEAN VALJEAN
CHAPTER VII. THE INTERIOR OF DESPAIR
CHAPTER VIII. BILLOWS AND SHADOWS
CHAPTER IX. NEW TROUBLES
CHAPTER X. THE MAN AROUSED
CHAPTER XI. WHAT HE DOES
CHAPTER XII. THE BISHOP WORKS
CHAPTER XIII. LITTLE GERVAIS
BOOK F SECOND. THE FALL
CHAPTER I. THE EVENING OF A DAY OF WALKING
Early in the month of October, 1815, about an hour before sunset, a man who was travelling on foot entered the little town of D---- The few inhabitants who were at their windows or on their thresholds at the moment stared at this traveller with a sort of uneasiness. It was difficult to encounter a wayfarer of more wretched appearance. He was a man of medium stature, thickset and robust, in the prime of life. He might have been forty-six or forty-eight years old. A cap with a drooping leather visor partly concealed his face, burned and tanned by sun and wind, and dripping with perspiration. His shirt of coarse yellow linen, fastened at the neck by a small silver anchor, permitted a view of his hairy breast: he had a cravat twisted into a string; trousers of blue drilling, worn and threadbare, white on one knee and torn on the other; an old gray, tattered blouse, patched on one of the elbows with a bit of green cloth sewed on with twine; a tightly packed soldier knapsack, well buckled and perfectly new, on his back; an enormous, knotty stick in his hand; iron-shod shoes on his stockingless feet; a shaved head and a long beard.
The sweat, the heat, the journey on foot, the dust, added I know not what sordid quality to this dilapidated whole. His hair was closely cut, yet bristling, for it had begun to grow a little, and did not seem to have been cut for some time.
No one knew him. He was evidently only a chance passer-by. Whence came he? From the south; from the seashore, perhaps, for he made his entrance into D---- by the same street which, seven months previously, had witnessed the passage of the Emperor Napoleon on his way from Cannes to Paris. This man must have been walking all day. He seemed very much fatigued. Some women of the ancient market town which is situated below the city had seen him pause beneath the trees of the boulevard Gassendi, and drink at the fountain which stands at the end of the promenade. He must have been very thirsty: for the children who followed him saw him stop again for a drink, two hundred paces further on, at the fountain in the market-place.
On arriving at the corner of the Rue Poichevert, he turned to the left, and directed his steps toward the town-hall. He entered, then came out a quarter of an hour later. A gendarme was seated near the door, on the stone bench which General Drouot had mounted on the 4th of March to read to the frightened throng of the inhabitants of D---- the proclamation of the Gulf Juan. The man pulled off his cap and humbly saluted the gendarme.
Frequently asked questions
What is the title of the book previewed in this HTML?
The book previewed is titled "BOOK F SECOND. THE FALL".
What does the table of contents section contain?
The table of contents lists the chapters included in the preview.
What are some of the chapter titles included in the preview?
Some of the chapter titles include "THE EVENING OF A DAY OF WALKING", "PRUDENCE COUNSELLED TO WISDOM", "TRANQUILITY", "JEAN VALJEAN", and "LITTLE GERVAIS".
What is the setting of Chapter I?
Chapter I, "THE EVENING OF A DAY OF WALKING," is set in the little town of D---- in early October 1815.
What is the physical appearance of the man who enters the town?
The man is of medium stature, thickset, robust, and appears to be in his late forties. He is described as having a wretched appearance, with worn clothing, a shaved head, and a long beard.
What is the significance of the gendarme in Chapter I?
The gendarme attentively stares at the man, follows him with his eyes, and then enters the town-hall, suggesting suspicion or interest in the man's presence.
What is the historical context mentioned in Chapter I?
The passage mentions that the man entered D---- by the same street where Emperor Napoleon passed seven months previously on his way from Cannes to Paris.
What is the man wearing?
He is wearing a cap, coarse yellow linen shirt, trousers of blue drilling, a gray blouse, a knapsack, and iron-shod shoes.
- Citation du texte
- Victor Hugo (Auteur), 2009, Les Misérables - Volume I - Fantine, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/121203
