Part 4 Book 9 Chapter 1 Jean Valjean

That same day, towards four o'clock in the afternoon, Jean Valjean was sitting alone on the back side of one of the most solitary slopes in the Champ-de-Mars. Either from prudence, or from a desire to meditate, or simply in consequence of one of those insensible changes of habit which gradually introduce themselves into the existence of every one, he now rarely went out with Cosette. He had on his workman's waistcoat, and trousers of gray linen; and his long-visored cap concealed his countenance.

He was calm and happy now beside Cosette; that which had, for a time, alarmed and troubled him had been dissipated; but for the last week or two, anxieties of another nature had come up. One day, while walking on the boulevard, he had caught sight of Thenardier; thanks to his disguise, Thenardier had not recognized him; but since that day, Jean Valjean had seen him repeatedly, and he was now certain that Thenardier was prowling about in their neighborhood.

This had been sufficient to make him come to a decision.

Moreover, Paris was not tranquil: political troubles presented this inconvenient feature, for any one who had anything to conceal in his life, that the police had grown very uneasy and very suspicious, and that while seeking to ferret out a man like Pepin or Morey, they might very readily discover a man like Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean had made up his mind to quit Paris, and even France, and go over to England.

He had warned Cosette. He wished to set out before the end of the week.

He had seated himself on the slope in the Champ-de-Mars, turning over all sorts of thoughts in his mind,--Thenardier, the police, the journey, and the difficulty of procuring a passport.

He was troubled from all these points of view.

Last of all, an inexplicable circumstance which had just attracted his attention, and from which he had not yet recovered, had added to his state of alarm.

On the morning of that very day, when he alone of the household was stirring, while strolling in the garden before Cosette's shutters were open, he had suddenly perceived on the wall, the following line, engraved, probably with a nail:--

16 Rue de la Verrerie.

This was perfectly fresh, the grooves in the ancient black mortar were white, a tuft of nettles at the foot of the wall was powdered with the fine, fresh plaster.

This had probably been written on the preceding night.

What was this? A signal for others? A warning for himself?

In any case, it was evident that the garden had been violated, and that strangers had made their way into it.

He recalled the odd incidents which had already alarmed the household.

His mind was now filling in this canvas.

He took good care not to speak to Cosette of the line written on the wall, for fear of alarming her.

In the midst of his preoccupations, he perceived, from a shadow cast by the sun, that some one had halted on the crest of the slope immediately behind him.

He was on the point of turning round, when a paper folded in four fell upon his knees as though a hand had dropped it over his head.

He took the paper, unfolded it, and read these words written in large characters, with a pencil:--

"MOVE AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE."

Jean Valjean sprang hastily to his feet; there was no one on the slope; he gazed all around him and perceived a creature larger than a child, not so large as a man, clad in a gray blouse and trousers of dust-colored cotton velvet, who was jumping over the parapet and who slipped into the moat of the Champde-Mars.

Jean Valjean returned home at once, in a very thoughtful mood.

在那同一天下午，将近四点时，冉阿让独自一人坐在马尔斯广场上一条最清静的斜坡上。他现在已很少和珂赛特一道上街，这也许是出于谨慎，也许是出于潜心静养的愿望，也许只是出于人人都有的那种习惯上的逐渐改变。他穿着一件工人的褂子，一条灰色帆布长裤，戴一顶帽舌突出的便帽，遮着自己的面部。他现在对珂赛特方面的事是心情安静的，甚至是快乐的，前些日子，使他提心吊胆的那些疑惧已经消逝，但最近一两个星期以来，他却有了另一种性质的忧虑。一天，他在大路上散步时，忽然望见德纳第，幸而他改了装，德纳第一点没认出他来；但是，从那以后，冉阿让又多次遇见他，现在他可以肯定，德纳第常在那一带游荡。这已够使他要下决心认真对待。德纳第的出现，意味着说不尽的后患。

另外，当时巴黎不平静，政治上的动乱，对那些隐瞒身世的人来说，带来这样一种麻烦，那就是警察已变得非常紧张，非常多疑，他们在搜寻象佩潘或莫雷①那样一个人时，是很可能会发现象冉阿让这样的人的。

①佩潘和莫雷是菲埃斯基的同伙。

由于这些原因，他已是心事重重了。

新近又发生件不可解的事，使惊魂初定的他重新受到一次震动，因而他更加警惕起来。在那同一天的早上，他第一个起床，到园里散步时，珂赛特的板窗还没有开，他忽然发现有人在墙上刻了这样一行字，也许是用钉子刻的：

玻璃厂街十六号。

这是最近发生的事。那堵墙上的石灰原已年久发黑，而刻出的字迹是雪白的。墙脚边的一丛荨麻叶子上，还铺着一层新近落上去的细白粉。这也许是昨晚刚刻的。这究竟是什么？是个通信地址吗？是为别人留下的暗号吗？是给他的警告吗？无论如何，这园子显然已被一些来历不明的人偷偷摸进来过了。他回忆起前不久把他一家人搞得惶惑不安的那些奇怪事情。他的脑子老向这些方面转。他绝不把发现墙上有人用钉子刻了一行字的这件事告诉珂赛特，怕她受惊。

对这一切经过思考，经过权衡以后，冉阿让决计离开巴黎，甚至法国，到英国去待上一段时间。他已向珂赛特提过，要在八天以内起程。现在他坐在马尔斯广场的斜坡上，脑子里反复想着这些事：德纳第、警察、刻在墙上的那一行字、这次的远行以及搞一份出国护照的困难。

他正在这样思前想后，忽然看见太阳把刚刚来到斜坡顶上紧挨着他背后的一个人的影子投射在他的眼前。他正要转过头去看，一张一折四的纸落在他的膝头上，好象是由伸在他头顶上的一只手扔下来的。他拾起那张纸，展开来看，那上面有几个用粗铅笔写的大字：

快搬家。

冉阿让立即站了起来，斜坡上一个人也没有，他向四面寻找，只见一个比孩子稍大又比成年人稍小的人，穿一件灰色布褂和一条土色的灯芯绒长裤，正跨过矮墙，向马尔斯广场的沟里滑下去。

冉阿让赶忙回家。心情沉重。