Part 4 Book 14 Chapter 5 End of the Verses of Jean Prouvaire

All flocked around Marius. Courfeyrac flung himself on his neck.

"Here you are!"

"What luck!" said Combeferre.

"You came in opportunely!" ejaculated Bossuet.

"If it had not been for you, I should have been dead!"began Courfeyrac again.

"If it had not been for you, I should have been gobbled up!"added Gavroche.

Marius asked:--

"Where is the chief?"

"You are he!" said Enjolras.

Marius had had a furnace in his brain all day long; now it was a whirlwind. This whirlwind which was within him, produced on him the effect of being outside of him and of bearing him away. It seemed to him that he was already at an immense distance from life. His two luminous months of joy and love, ending abruptly at that frightful precipice, Cosette lost to him, that barricade, M. Mabeuf getting himself killed for the Republic, himself the leader of the insurgents,-- all these things appeared to him like a tremendous nightmare. He was obliged to make a mental effort to recall the fact that all that surrounded him was real. Marius had already seen too much of life not to know that nothing is more imminent than the impossible, and that what it is always necessary to foresee is the unforeseen. He had looked on at his own drama as a piece which one does not understand.

In the mists which enveloped his thoughts, he did not recognize Javert, who, bound to his post, had not so much as moved his head during the whole of the attack on the barricade, and who had gazed on the revolt seething around him with the resignation of a martyr and the majesty of a judge. Marius had not even seen him.

In the meanwhile, the assailants did not stir, they could be heard marching and swarming through at the end of the street but they did not venture into it, either because they were awaiting orders or because they were awaiting reinforcements before hurling themselves afresh on this impregnable redoubt. The insurgents had posted sentinels, and some of them, who were medical students, set about caring for the wounded.

They had thrown the tables out of the wine-shop, with the exception of the two tables reserved for lint and cartridges, and of the one on which lay Father Mabeuf; they had added them to the barricade, and had replaced them in the tap-room with mattresses from the bed of the widow Hucheloup and her servants. On these mattresses they had laid the wounded. As for the three poor creatures who inhabited Corinthe, no one knew what had become of them. They were finally found, however, hidden in the cellar.

A poignant emotion clouded the joy of the disencumbered barricade.

The roll was called. One of the insurgents was missing. And who was it? One of the dearest. One of the most valiant. Jean Prouvaire. He was sought among the wounded, he was not there. He was sought among the dead, he was not there. He was evidently a prisoner. Combeferre said to Enjolras:--

"They have our friend; we have their agent. Are you set on the death of that spy?"

"Yes," replied Enjolras; "but less so than on the life of Jean Prouvaire."

This took place in the tap-room near Javert's post.

"Well," resumed Combeferre, "I am going to fasten my handkerchief to my cane, and go as a flag of truce, to offer to exchange our man for theirs."

"Listen," said Enjolras, laying his hand on Combeferre's arm.

At the end of the street there was a significant clash of arms.

They heard a manly voice shout:--

"Vive la France! Long live France! Long live the future!"

They recognized the voice of Prouvaire.

A flash passed, a report rang out.

Silence fell again.

"They have killed him," exclaimed Combeferre.

Enjolras glanced at Javert, and said to him:--

"Your friends have just shot you."

大家都围住马吕斯。古费拉克抱着他的颈子。

“你也来了！”

“太好了！”公白飞说。

“你来得正是时候！”博须埃说。

“没有你，我早已死了！”古费拉克又说。

“没有您，我早完了蛋！”伽弗洛什补上一句。

马吕斯问道：

“头头在哪儿？”

“头头就是你。”安灼拉说。

马吕斯这一整天脑子里燃着一炉火，现在又起了一阵风暴。这风暴发生在他心中，但他觉得它在他的体外，并且把他刮得颠颠倒倒。他仿佛觉得他已远离人生十万八千里。他两个月来美满的欢乐和恋爱竟会陡然一下子发展到目前这种绝地。珂赛特全无踪影，这个街垒，为实现共和而流血牺牲的马白夫先生，自己也成了起义的头头，所有这一切，在他看来，都象是一场惊心动魄的恶梦。他得使劲集中精力才能回忆起环绕着他的事物都是真实不虚的。马吕斯还缺少足够的人生经验去理解最迫切需要做的正是自以为无法做到的事，最应当提防的也正是难于预料的事。正如他在观看一场他看不懂的戏那样，看着他自己的戏。

沙威一直被绑在柱子上，当街垒受到攻打时，他头也没有转动一下，他以殉教者逆来顺受的态度和法官庄严倨傲的神情望着他周围的骚乱。神志不清的马吕斯甚至全不曾察觉到他。

这时，那些进犯的官兵停止了活动，人们听到他们在街口纷纷走动的声音，但是不再前来送死，他们或许是在等候指示，或许是要等到加强兵力以后再冲向这攻不下的堡垒。起义的人们又派出了岗哨，几个医科大学生着手包扎伤员。

除了两张做绷带和枪弹的桌子以及和马白夫公公躺着的桌子外，其他的桌子全被搬出酒店，加在街垒上，寡妇于什鲁和女仆床上的厚褥子也被搬下来，放在厅堂里，代替那些桌子。他们让伤员们躺在那些厚褥子上。至于科林斯的原住户，那三个可怜的妇人，现在怎样，却没有人知道。后来才发现她们都躲在地窖里。

大家正在为街垒解了围而高兴，随即又因一件事而惊慌焦急。

在集合点名时，他们发现少了一个起义人员。缺了谁呢？缺了最亲爱的一个，最勇猛的一个，让·勃鲁维尔。他们到伤员里去找，没有他。到尸体堆里去找，也没有他。他显然是被俘虏了。

公白飞对安灼拉说：

“他们逮住了我们的朋友，但是我们也逮住了他们的人员。你一定要处死这特务吗？”

“当然，”安灼拉说，“但是让·勃鲁维尔的生命更重要。”

这话是在厅堂里沙威的木柱旁说的。

“那么，”公白飞接着说，“我可以在我的手杖上结一块手帕，作为办交涉的代表，拿他们的人去向他们换回我们的人。”

“你听。”安灼拉把手放在公白飞的胳膊上说。

只听见从街口传出了一下扳动枪机的声音。

他们听到一个男子的声音喊道：

“法兰西万岁！未来万岁！”

他们听出那正是让·勃鲁维尔的声音。

火光一闪，枪也立即响了。

接着，声息全无。

“他们把他杀害了。”公白飞大声说。

安灼拉望着沙威，对他说：

“你的朋友刚才把你枪毙了。”