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his　soul　in　that　hideous　mass　of　frightful　thoughts　which　he　had　spent　nineteen　years　in　collecting　on　the　floor　of　the　prison。
　　He　said　to　himself　with　a　shudder；　〃Good　God！　shall　I　bee　like　that　again？〃
　　This　creature　seemed　to　be　at　least　sixty；　there　was　something　indescribably　coarse；　stupid；　and　frightened　about　him。
　　At　the　sound　made　by　the　opening　door；　people　had　drawn　aside　to　make　way　for　him；　the　President　had　turned　his　head；　and；　understanding　that　the　personage　who　had　just　entered　was　the　mayor　of　M。　sur　M。；　he　had　bowed　to　him；　the　attorney…general；　who　had　seen　M。　Madeleine　at　M。　sur　M。；　whither　the　duties　of　his　office　had　called　him　more　than　once；　recognized　him　and　saluted　him　also：
　　he　had　hardly　perceived　it；　he　was　the　victim　of　a　sort　of　hallucination；　he　was　watching。
　　Judges；　clerks；　gendarmes；　a　throng　of　cruelly　curious　heads；　all　these　he　had　already　beheld　once；　in　days　gone　by；　twenty…seven　years　before；　he　had　encountered　those　fatal　things　once　more；　there　they　were；　they　moved；　they　existed；　it　was　no　longer　an　effort　of　his　memory；　a　mirage　of　his　thought；　they　were　real　gendarmes　and　real　judges；　a　real　crowd；　and　real　men　of　flesh　and　blood：
　　it　was　all　over；　he　beheld　the　monstrous　aspects　of　his　past　reappear　and　live　once　more　around　him；　with　all　that　there　is　formidable　in　reality。
　　All　this　was　yawning　before　him。
　　He　was　horrified　by　it；　he　shut　his　eyes；　and　exclaimed　in　the　deepest　recesses　of　his　soul；　〃Never！〃
　　And　by　a　tragic　play　of　destiny　which　made　all　his　ideas　tremble；　and　rendered　him　nearly　mad；　it　was　another　self　of　his　that　was　there！　all　called　that　man　who　was　being　tried　Jean　Valjean。
　　Under　his　very　eyes；　unheard…of　vision；　he　had　a　sort　of　representation　of　the　most　horrible　moment　of　his　life；　enacted　by　his　spectre。
　　Everything　was　there；　the　apparatus　was　the　same；　the　hour　of　the　night；　the　faces　of　the　judges；　of　soldiers；　and　of　spectators；　all　were　the　same；　only　above　the　President's　head　there　hung　a　crucifix；　something　which　the　courts　had　lacked　at　the　time　of　his　condemnation：　God　had　been　absent　when　he　had　been　judged。
　　There　was　a　chair　behind　him；　he　dropped　into　it；　terrified　at　the　thought　that　he　might　be　seen；　when　he　was　seated；　he　took　advantage　of　a　pile　of　cardboard　boxes；　which　stood　on　the　judge's　desk；　to　conceal　his　face　from　the　whole　room；　he　could　now　see　without　being　seen；　he　had　fully　regained　consciousness　of　the　reality　of　things；　gradually　he　recovered；　he　attained　that　phase　of　posure　where　it　is　possible　to　listen。
　　M。　Bamatabois　was　one　of　the　jurors。
　　He　looked　for　Javert；　but　did　not　see　him；　the　seat　of　the　witnesses　was　hidden　from　him　by　the　clerk's　table；　and　then；　as　we　have　just　said；　the　hall　was　sparely　lighted。
　　At　the　moment　of　this　entrance；　the　defendant's　lawyer　had　just　finished　his　plea。
　　The　attention　of　all　was　excited　to　the　highest　pitch；　the　affair　had　lasted　for　three　hours：
　　for　three　hours　that　crowd　had　been　watching　a　strange　man；　a　miserable　specimen　of　humanity；　either　profoundly　stupid　or　profoundly　subtle；　gradually　bending　beneath　the　weight　of　a　terrible　likeness。
　　This　man；　as　the　reader　already　knows；　was　a　vagabond　who　had　been　found　in　a　field　carrying　a　branch　laden　with　ripe　apples；　broken　in　the　orchard　of　a　neighbor；　called　the　Pierron　orchard。
　　Who　was　this　man？　an　examination　had　been　made；　witnesses　had　been　heard；　and　they　were　unanimous；　light　had　abounded　throughout　the　entire　debate；　the　accusation　said：　〃We　have　in　our　grasp　not　only　a　marauder；　a　stealer　of　fruit；　we　have　here；　in　our　hands；　a　bandit；　an　old　offender　who　has　broken　his　ban；　an　ex…convict；　a　miscreant　of　the　most　dangerous　description；　a　malefactor　named　Jean　Valjean；　whom　justice　has　long　been　in　search　of；　and　who；　eight　years　ago；　on　emerging　from　the　galleys　at　Toulon；　mitted　a　highway　robbery；　acpanied　by　violence；　on　the　person　of　a　child；　a　Savoyard　named　Little　Gervais；　a　crime　provided　for　by　article　383　of　the　Penal　Code；　the　right　to　try　him　for　which　we　reserve　hereafter；　when　his　identity　shall　have　been　judicially　established。
　　He　has　just　mitted　a　fresh　theft；　it　is　a　case　of　a　second　offence；　condemn　him　for　the　fresh　deed；　later　on　he　will　be　judged　for　the　old　crime。〃
　　In　the　face　of　this　accusation；　in　the　face　of　the　unanimity　of　the　witnesses；　the　accused　appeared　to　be　astonished　more　than　anything　else；　he　made　signs　and　gestures　which　were　meant　to　convey　No；　or　else　he　stared　at　the　ceiling：
　　he　spoke　with　difficulty；　replied　with　embarrassment；　but　his　whole　person；　from　head　to　foot；　was　a　denial；　he　was　an　idiot　in　the　presence　of　all　these　minds　ranged　in　order　of　battle　around　him；　and　like　a　stranger　in　the　midst　of　this　society　which　was　seizing　fast　upon　him；　nevertheless；　it　was　a　question　of　the　most　menacing　future　for　him；　the　likeness　increased　every　moment；　and　the　entire　crowd　surveyed；　with　more　anxiety　than　he　did　himself；　that　sentence　freighted　with　calamity；　which　descended　ever　closer　over　his　head；　there　was　even　a　glimpse　of　a　possibility　afforded；　besides　the　galleys；　a　possible　death　penalty；　in　case　his　identity　were　established；　and　the　affair　of　Little　Gervais　were　to　end　thereafter　in　condemnation。　Who　was　this　man？　what　was　the　nature　of　his　apathy？　was　it　imbecility　or　craft？
　　Did　he　understand　too　well；　or　did　he　not　understand　at　all？　these　were　questions　which　divided　the　crowd；　and　seemed　to　divide　the　jury；　there　was　something　both　terrible　and　puzzling　in　this　case：
　　the　drama　was　not　only　melancholy；　it　was　also　obscure。
　　The　counsel　for　the　defence　had　spoken　tolerably　well；　in　that　provincial　tongue　which　has　long　constituted　the　eloquence　of　the　bar；　and　which　was　formerly　employed　by　all　advocates；　at　Paris　as　well　as　at　Romorantin　or　at　Montbrison；　and　which　to…day；　having　bee　classic；　is　no　longer　spoken　except　by　the　official　orators　of　magistracy；　to　whom　it　is　suited　on　account　of　its　grave　sonorousness　and　its　majestic　stride；　a　tongue　in　which　a　husband　is　called　a　consort；　and　a　woman　a　spouse；　Paris；　the　centre　of　art　and　civilization；　the　king；　the　monarch；　Monseigneur　the　Bishop；　a　sainted　pontiff；　the　district…attorney；　the　eloquent　interpreter　of　public　prosecution；　the　arguments；　the　accents　which　we　have　just　listened　to；　the　age　of　Louis　XIV。；　the　grand　age；　a　theatre；　the　temple　of　Melpomene；　the　reigning　family；　the　august　blood　of　our　kings；　a　concert；　a　musical　solemnity；　the　General　mandant　of　the　province；　the　illustrious　warrior；　who；　etc。；　the　pupils　in　the　seminary；　these　tender　levities；　errors　imputed　to　newspapers；　the　imposture　which　distills　its　venom　through　the　columns　of　those　organs；　etc。　The　lawyer　had；　accordingly；　begun　with　an　explanation　as　to　the　theft　of　the　apples；an　awkward　matter　couched　in　fine　style；　but　Benigne　Bossuet　himself　was　obliged　to　allude　to　a　chicken　in　the　midst　of　a　funeral　oration；　and　he　extricated　himself　from　the　situation　in　stately　fashion。
　　The　lawyer　established　the　fact　that　the　theft　of　the　apples　had　not　been　circumstantially　proved。　His　client；　whom　he；　in　his　character　of　counsel；　persisted　in　calling　Champmathieu；　had　not　been　seen　scaling　that　wall　nor　breaking　that　branch　by　any　one。
　　He　had　been　taken　with　that　branch　（which　the　lawyer　preferred　to　call　a　bough）　in　his　possession；　but　he　said　that　he　had　found　it　broken　off　and　lying　on　the　ground；　and　had　picked　it　up。
　　Where　was　there　any　proof　to　the　contrary？　No　doubt　that　branch　had　been　broken　off　and　concealed　after　the　scaling　of　the　wall；　then　thrown　away　by　the　alarmed　marauder；　there　was　no　doubt　that　there　had　been　a　thief　in　the　case。　But　what　proof　was　there　that　that　thief　had　been　Champmathieu？　One　thing　only。
　　His　character　as　an　ex…convict。　The　lawyer　did　not　deny　that　that　character　appeared　to　be；　unhappily；　well　attested；　the　accused　had　resided　at　Faverolles；　the　accused　had　exercised　the　calling　of　a　tree…pruner　there；　the　name　of　Champmathieu　might　well　have　had　its　origin　in　Jean　Mathieu；　all　that　was　true；　in　short；　four　witnesses　recognize　Champmathieu；　positively　and　without　hesitation；　as　that　convict；　Jean　Valjean；　to　these　signs；　to　this　testimony；　the　counsel　could　oppose　nothing　but　the　denial　of　his　client；　the　denial　of　an　interested　party；　but　supposing　that　he　was　the　convict　Jean　Valjean；　did　that　prove　that　he　was　the　thief　of　the　apples？　that　was　a　presumption　at　the　most；　not　a　proof。　The　prisoner；　it　was　true；　and　his　counsel；　〃in　good　faith；〃　was　obliged　to　admit　it；　had　adopted　〃a　bad　system　of　defence。〃　He　obstinately　denied　everything；　the　theft　and　his　character　of　convict。　An　admission　upon　this　last　point　would　certainly　have　been　better；　and　would　have　won　for　him　the　indulgence　of　his　judges；　the　counsel　had　advised　him　to　do　this；　but　the　accused　had　obstinately　refused；　thinking；　no　doubt；　that　he　would　save　everything　by　admitting　nothing。　It　was　an　error；　but　ought　not　the　paucity　of　this　intelligence　to　be　taken　into　consideration？
　　This　man　was　visibly　stupid。　Long…continued　wretchedness　in　the　galleys；　long　misery　outside　the　galleys；　had　brutalized　hi