Listen to the AudioBook: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

LES MISÉRABLES

VOLUME I—FANTINE

BOOK FIRST—A JUST MAN

CHAPTER I—M. MYRIEL

In 1815, the ex-convict, Jean Valjean, arrived in Pontarlier. He had walked nearly the whole distance from Toulon, and his heart was filled with the bitterness of his nineteen years of labor. He wore the yellow passport which marked him as a galley slave, and the suspicion and hostility which pursued him made the simplest passage through a town an ordeal.

He reached Pontarlier late in the evening. The town was asleep. He sought lodging, but every innkeeper, seeing the yellow document, refused him shelter. Finally, he forced his way into the parish poorhouse, where he was grudgingly given a corner in the dormitory with the beggars.

The next day, he resumed his journey, driven by the desire to reach Paris and disappear. His path led him through the mountains, and a snowstorm forced him to seek refuge in the small village of D— The storm was fierce, and no one would open their door to the man with the yellow passport.

He found a refuge in the bishop’s palace. Monseigneur Bienvenu, the Bishop of D—, received him with extraordinary kindness. He offered Jean Valjean a place at his own table and a room for the night, treating him not as a criminal, but as a guest.

Jean Valjean, long accustomed to cruelty and suspicion, was deeply suspicious of this generosity. He ate in silence, his eyes constantly watching the bishop. He accepted the linen sheets offered to him with the secret intention of selling them.

That night, while the bishop slept, Jean Valjean slipped out of his room, stole the bishop’s silver, and fled into the darkness.

He had not gone far when he was captured by the gendarmes. They brought him back to the palace, where the bishop was already awake.

CHAPTER II—M. MYRIEL BECOMES M. WELCOME

The gendarmes presented Jean Valjean to the bishop, announcing they had recovered the stolen silver.

“Ah! you brought him back,” said the bishop, with a look of gentle surprise. “I am glad to see you again, sir.”

The gendarmes, confused by his calm demeanor, presented the stolen silverware.

“I am very glad you returned,” the bishop continued to Jean Valjean, his tone perfectly natural. “But I notice you forgot the candlesticks as well.” He then nodded toward two silver candlesticks on the mantelpiece. “They are silver, too. They would complete the set.”

Jean Valjean stood frozen, unable to speak. The gendarmes were utterly bewildered.

The bishop turned to the officers. “Gentlemen, you are mistaken. When Monsieur Jean Valjean here left, he forgot these.” He took the candlesticks and handed them to Jean Valjean. “Do not forget them again. They are silver, and silver burns well.”

The gendarmes released Jean Valjean, believing he was merely a confused guest.

When they were gone, the bishop looked at Jean Valjean, who was trembling, the silver pieces clutched in his hand.

“Now, Monsieur,” the bishop said softly, “before you go, tell me, why did you forget to take the candlesticks?”

Jean Valjean, overwhelmed by this act of profound mercy, finally broke down. The bishop led him to a chair and spoke to him not of his crime, but of his soul, telling him he had purchased his soul for God with silver.

“Jean Valjean,” the bishop concluded, “you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I have bought for you. I withdraw it from black thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.”

He then led him to the door and sent him on his way, giving him two gold louis in addition, telling him to use the money to become an honest man.

CHAPTER III—A HARD BISHOPRIC FOR A GOOD BISHOP

Monseigneur Bienvenu, whose real name was Myriel, had inherited a large fortune, but upon becoming a priest, he devoted himself entirely to charity. When the Revolution swept through France, he fled to England, and upon his return, he refused the see of Arles, choosing instead the small, poor diocese of D—, where he could better serve the needy.

His administrative methods were unconventional. He sold the palace’s silver and gold plate to build hospitals and establish schools, preferring simple earthenware for his own use. He believed true Christianity lay in active benevolence.

His charity extended even to those who opposed him. He housed and cared for the relatives of a man who had denounced him during the Terror, stating that forgiving enemies was the truest form of piety.

CHAPTER IV—WORKS CORRESPONDING TO WORDS

The Bishop’s generosity often led to financial strain, yet he never wavered. He possessed a profound, almost mystical faith in the inherent goodness that kindness could awaken in even the hardest heart. His entire life was an argument proving that the love of God could conquer the hatred of man.

He was known for his simple, profound sayings, often delivered with a gentle smile, such as: “The true cathedral is the heart of man.”

His sister, Mlle. Baptistine, and his housekeeper, Madame Magloire, often worried about their dwindling resources, but the Bishop simply smiled and pointed to the good they had accomplished with the money.

CHAPTER V—MONSEIGNEUR BIENVENU MADE HIS CASSOCKS LAST TOO LONG

The Bishop’s frugality was legendary. He wore the same threadbare cassock for years, despite the protests of Mlle. Baptistine, who tried to mend it constantly. He believed that excessive care for worldly things distracted from spiritual duties. He was sixty years old, his face lined by thought and kindness, his hair white, and his eyes possessing a clear, penetrating light.

CHAPTER VI—WHO GUARDED HIS HOUSE FOR HIM

The Bishop’s house was always open. Not only to the poor, but to the vagrants and outcasts whom society shunned. He maintained a profound peace in his home, an atmosphere where suspicion dared not enter. Madame Magloire often complained about the strange visitors, but the Bishop insisted that their souls were worth more than their appearances suggested. He saw Christ in every ragged visitor.

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