Les miserables (Abridged) - Victor Hugo [251]
“From my respectful sentiments with which I have the honour to be
“Madame,
“DON ALVARÈS, Spanish captain of cabalry, royalist refuge in France, who finds himself traveling for his country and ressources fail him to continue his travells.”
No address was added to the signature. Marius hoped to find the address in the second letter the superscription of which ran: to Madame, Madame the Countess de Montvernet, Rue Cassette, No. 9. Marius read as follows:
“Madame the Comtess,
“It is an unfortunat mothur of a family of six children the last of whom is only eight months old. I sick since my last lying-in, abandoned by my husband for five months haveing no ressources in the world in the most frightful indigance.
“In the hope of Madame the Comtesse, she has the honour to be, Madame, with profound respect,
“MOTHER BALIZARD.”
Marius passed to the third letter, which was, like the preceding, a begging one; it read:
“Monsieur Pabourgeot, elector, wholesale merchant-milliner, Rue Saint Denis, corner of the Rue aux Fers.
“I take the liberty to address you this letter to pray you to accord me the pretious favour of your simpathies and to interest you in a man of letters who has just sent a drama to the Theatre Français. Its subject is historical, and the action takes place in Auvergne in the time of the empire: its style, I believe, is natural, laconic and perhaps has some merit. There are verses to be sung in four places. The comic, the serious, the unforeseen, mingle themselves with the variety of the characters and with a tint of romance spread lightly over all the plot which advances misteriously, and by striking unixpectit terns, to a denouement in the midst of several hits of splendid scenes.
“My principal object is to satisfie the desire which animates progressively the man of our century, that is to say, fashion, that caprisious and grotesque weathercock which changes almost with every new wind.
“In spite of these qualities I have reason to fear that jealousy, the selfishness of the privileged authors, may secure my exclusion from the theatre, for I am not ignorant of the distaste with which new-comers are swollowed.
“Monsieur Pabourgeot, your just reputation as an enlightened protector of literary fokes emboldens me to send my daughter to you, who will expose to you our indigant situation, wanting bread and fire in this wynter season. To tell you that I pray you to accept the homage which I desire to offer you in my drama and in all those which I will make, is to prove to you how ambicious I am of the honour of sheltering myself under your aegis, and of adorning my writings with your name. If you deign to honour me with the most modest offering, I shall occupy myself immediately a piese of verse for you to pay my tribut of recognition. This piese, which I shall endeavour to render as perfect as possible, will be sent to you before being inserted in the beginning of the drama and recited upon the stage.
“To Monsieur and Madame Pabourgeot,
My most respectful homage,
GENFLOT, MAN OF LETTERS.
“P.S. Were it only forty sous.
“Excuse me for sending my daughter and for not presenting myself, but sad motives of dress do not permit me, alas! to go out—”
Marius finally opened the fourth letter. There was on the address: To the beneficent gentleman of the church of Saint Jaques du Haut Pas. It contained these few lines:
“Beneficent man.
“If you will deign to accompany my daughter, you will see a mis serable calamity, and I will show you my certificates.
“At the sight of these writings your generous soul will be moved with a sentiment of lively benevolence, for true philosophers always experience vivid emotions.
“Agree, compassionate man, that one must experience the most cruel necessity, and that it is very painful, to obtain relief, to have it attested by authority, as if we were not free to suffer and to die of inanition while waiting for some one to relieve our missery. The fates are very cruel to some and too lavish or too protective to others.
“I await your presence or your offering, if you