Part 201 (1/2)

”Now, whom are we to eat?”

It is useless to explain the sense of this frightfully transparent remark, which signifies both to kill, to a.s.sa.s.sinate, and to plunder. To eat, true sense: to devour.

”Let's get well into a corner,” said Brujon. ”Let's settle it in three words, and part at once. There was an affair that promised well in the Rue Plumet, a deserted street, an isolated house, an old rotten gate on a garden, and lone women.”

”Well! why not?” demanded Thenardier.

”Your girl, Eponine, went to see about the matter,” replied Babet.

”And she brought a biscuit to Magnon,” added Guelemer. ”Nothing to be made there.”

”The girl's no fool,” said Thenardier. ”Still, it must be seen to.”

”Yes, yes,” said Brujon, ”it must be looked up.”

In the meanwhile, none of the men seemed to see Gavroche, who, during this colloquy, had seated himself on one of the fence-posts; he waited a few moments, thinking that perhaps his father would turn towards him, then he put on his shoes again, and said:--

”Is that all? You don't want any more, my men? Now you're out of your sc.r.a.pe. I'm off. I must go and get my brats out of bed.”

And off he went.

The five men emerged, one after another, from the enclosure.

When Gavroche had disappeared at the corner of the Rue des Ballets, Babet took Thenardier aside.

”Did you take a good look at that young 'un?” he asked.

”What young 'un?”

”The one who climbed the wall and carried you the rope.”

”Not particularly.”

”Well, I don't know, but it strikes me that it was your son.”

”Bah!” said Thenardier, ”do you think so?”

BOOK SEVENTH.--SLANG

[Ill.u.s.tration: Slang b7-1-slang]

CHAPTER I--ORIGIN

Pigritia is a terrible word.

It engenders a whole world, la pegre, for which read theft, and a h.e.l.l, la pegrenne, for which read hunger.

Thus, idleness is the mother.

She has a son, theft, and a daughter, hunger.