One cold evening in October of 1815, a man with a long beard and dirty clothes walked into the French town of Digne. The man was in his forties and very strong. He carried a bag and a walking staff.

The man entered an inn and said to the innkeeper, "I've been traveling for a long time, and I'm very tired. I need a meal and a place to sleep. I have money to pay you."

The innkeeper looked closely at the strange man."I know who you are. You are Jean Valjean. You've just been released from prison. I don't serve people like you! Get out of here immediately!"

Jean Valjean left peacefully. Outside it was dark, cold, and windy. He was desperate for a place to rest. He lay down on a stone bench in front of a church and tried to sleep. But a woman came out and asked, "How can you sleep outside on that stone bench?"

I've been sleeping on a wooden one in prison for nineteen years. What's the difference?"

The woman pointed to a small house next to the church. "You could stay there," she said.

The Bishop of Digne was a gentle, old man who lived with his sister and a servant. He helped anyone who was in need, and he never locked his doors.

That evening, he was sitting by the fire when his sister said, "Brother, people are saying there's a terrible man in town. The police have told everyone to lock their doors and windows."

But the bishop only smiled. Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door.

Come in," said the bishop.

The bishop's sister and servant trembled when Jean Valjean walked into their house, but the bishop was calm.

I am Jean Valjean," said the stranger. "I've just been released from prison after nineteen years. I've been walking for four days, and I desperately need a place to rest. Can you help me?"

The bishop told his servant to set another place at the table for Valjean. "Sit down, and warm yourself, Monsieur Valjean," said the bishop. "Dinner will be ready soon."

After the big meal, Valjean began to relax and look around the small house. The bishop's house was not luxurious, but he could see the valuable set of silver knives, forks, and candlesticks at the table. Then he noticed the bishop's servant putting the silverware away in a cabinet.

The bishop handed one of the candlesticks to Valjean. "Here, this will light your way. Follow me to the spare bedroom," said the bishop.

Once they were in the room, the bishop said,"Good night. And don't forget to have a bowl of our fresh cow's milk before you leave tomorrow."

Valjean was so tired that he fell asleep with his clothes on. But even though he was exhausted, he woke up only a few hours later. Unable to sleep, he brooded about his past. Life had been terribly unfair to him, and he was still furious about it.

In 1795, Valjean had lost his job as a lumberjack. But at that time he had been supporting his widowed sister and her seven children. He was caught stealing loaves of bread to feed them and had lost the best years of his life for that.

Valjean wanted revenge on the whole world! Then he thought of the bishop's valuable silverware and thought of a plan.

Valjean got out of bed and moved quietly around the house with his shoes off. In his hand, he held a short iron bar that was sharp on one end. He went into the bishop's room and held the bar over the sleeping man's head. But the bishop's sleeping face looked so peaceful and kind that Valjean could not kill him. So he stuffed the valuable silver knives and forks into his bag and escaped by climbing through the garden in back of the house.

The next morning, the bishop was sadly examining some flowers in the garden that had been damaged during Valjean's escape.

Bishop," cried his servant, "do you know that your precious silverware has been stolen? That man who stayed here last night must have taken it!"

Yes, I know," said the bishop. "But I think it was wrong of me to keep that expensive silverware for so long."

Later that morning, four policemen and Valjean came back to the bishop's house. "Bishop," said the police sergeant, "we caught this criminal with some valuable silverware. Is it yours?"

The bishop smiled at Valjean, "Dear friend, you forgot to take these silver candlesticks. They will bring you at least 200 francs."

Valjean and the policemen's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sir, are you saying that you gave this silverware to this man?" asked the sergeant.

Yes, absolutely. You must let him go."

Then the policemen left. The bishop walked up close to Valjean and said, "Now you must use this money to make yourself an honest man. I've bought your soul from the devil and given it to God."

Jean Valjean wandered into the countryside feeling confused. When the world had been unfair to him and he had been very angry, things had made sense to him. But now that he had been shown such great kindness, he didn't know what to do.

Then as he crossed a large field, Valjean encountered a ten-year-old boy. The boy was walking, whistling, and happily tossing a silver coin into the air and catching it. Valjean held out his hand and caught the boy's coin.

Please sir, give me my coin back. I'm just a chimney sweep, and it's all the money I have."

Go away," said Valjean.

But Monsieur. . . please!" cried the boy.

Valjean raised his stick to strike the boy. The boy became very frightened and ran away. Once the boy was out of sight, Valjean looked at the coin in his hand. He could not believe what he had done. He called for the boy to come back, but the boy was gone. He sat down exhausted on a rock, and for the first time in nineteen years, he wept.

In the year 1818, in a small village named Montfermeil near Paris, two small girls were playing on a swing. It was a lovely spring evening. Their mother was a plain-looking woman with red hair. She sat nearby watching them from in front of the small inn where they lived.

Suddenly a young woman approached her and said, "Madam, your girls are very pretty."

The young woman was holding a sleeping child in her arms. But she looked poor and unhappy.

Thank you," said the girls'mother. "Sit down, and take a rest. You look tired."

The young woman sat down and introduced herself. Her name was Fantine.

My name is Mme. Thenardier," said the woman with two daughters. "My husband and I manage this inn."

Fantine told the woman that she used to work in Paris, but her husband died, and she lost her job. But she was lying. In truth, she had gotten pregnant by a young man who ran away. It was very hard for unmarried women with children at this time.

Then Fantine's little girl woke up. Her eyes were big and blue like her mother's. The little girl giggled and jumped off her mother's lap. She ran to play with the two girls on the swing.

What's your daughter's name?" asked Mme. Thenardier.

Her name is Cosette. She's nearly three."

The two women watched their children playing together. Mme. Thenardier laughed, "Look at how easily they play. They could be sisters."

These words made Fantine do something very strange. Suddenly she grasped the other woman's hand and asked, "Could you possibly take care of her for me? I must find work, and it's almost impossible for a woman with a child and no husband. I'll get her as soon as I have a job. I have enough money to pay you six francs per month!"

Mme. Thenardier did not answer. She did not know what to say. But her husband was standing behind them. "We'll take care of her for seven francs a month if you pay six months in advance."

Fantine took the money from her purse.

The next morning, Fantine said goodbye to her daughter, kissing her and crying as if her heart were breaking.

We need this money," said M. Thenardier to his wife. "Now I can pay my debts and avoid going to prison. You did a good job tricking that lady."

Although I hadn't intended to," replied his wife.

A month later, M. Thenardier needed more money, so he sold Cosette's clothes for sixty francs. They dressed the little girl in rags and made her eat scraps of food under the table with the dog and the cat.

In the meantime, Fantine began working at a factory in a city far away. She sent letters and money for her daughter every month. The Thenardiers began to ask for more money, and Fantine gladly paid it. They told Fantine they treated her daughter well. But in truth, while they treated their own daughters, Eponine and Azelma, very well, they treated little Cosette like a slave.

Fantine was careful to keep her daughter a secret at the factory where she worked. But the women there finally discovered that she was an unwed mother and told everyone. Fantine was fired from her job and couldn't find another one anywhere.

That winter, Fantine went without a fire in her little room just to save a little more money for Cosette. She earned a little money sewing shirts, but it wasn't enough. She went to a wig-maker and sold her hair for ten francs. Then she got a letter from the Thenardiers saying that Cosette was very ill and needed forty francs for medicine. This made Fantine very desperate. She sold her two front teeth.

After her hair and teeth were gone, Fantine had few ways of making money. But the Thenardiers kept demanding more money. So Fantine began to sell the only thing she had left, her body.

KEY WORDS

beard n. 胡子

walking staff 手杖

inn n. 客栈

innkeeper n. 客栈老板

closely adv. 仔细地

release v. 释放

prison n. 监狱

serve v. 服务

immediately adv. 立即

peacefully adv. 平静地

lie v. 躺下

(lie-lay-lain)

wooden adj. 木质的

difference n. 区别

point v. 指

bishop n. 主教

gentle adj. 温和的

lock v. 上锁

terrible adj. 可怕的

knock n. 敲门声

tremble v. 发抖

calm adj. 镇静的

stranger n. 陌生人

warm oneself 暖暖身子

Monsieur n. （法语）先生

relax v. 放松

luxurious adj. 豪华的

valuable adj. 贵重的

candlestick n. 蜡烛台

notice v. 注意到

put away 将……放好

silverware n. 银器

cabinet n. 橱柜

hand v. 递给

light v. 照明

follow v. 跟随

spare adj. 空余的

a bowl of 一碗

fall asleep 睡着

exhausted adj. 筋疲力尽的

unable adj. 无法的

brood about 沉思

unfair adj. 不公平

furious adj. 愤怒的

lumberjack n. 伐木工

support v. 供养

widowed adj. 守寡的

a loaf of 一条（面包）

feed v. 为……提供食物

(feed-fed-fed)

revenge n. 报复

iron bar 铁棍

stuff v. 塞满

escape v. & n. 逃跑

examine v. 察看

damage v. 毁坏

precious adj. 珍贵的

sergeant n. 警官

criminal n. 罪犯

widen v. 睁大

disbelief n. 怀疑

absolutely int. 一点不错

devil n. 魔鬼

wander v. 漫步

confused adj. 困惑的

encounter v. 偶遇

whistle v. 吹口哨

toss v. 抛

chimney sweep 烟囱清扫工

strike v. 打

(strike-struck-struck)

frightened adj. 受惊吓的

out of sight 看不见了

call for 呼喊

weep v. 哭泣

(weep-wept-wept)

swing n. 秋千

plain-looking adj. 相貌平平的

approach v. 走近

Mme. abbr. （=Madame，法语）夫人

manage v. 经营

lie v. 撒谎

in truth 事实上

pregnant adj. 怀孕

unmarried adj. 未婚的

giggle v. 咯咯地笑

lap n. （人坐着时）大腿的上方

easily adv. 从容自在地

grasp v. 抓住

take care of 照看

in advance 预先

purse n. （女用）钱包

debt n. 债

avoid v. 避免

trick v. 欺骗

intend v. 打算

dress v. 给……穿衣

rag n. [~s] 破旧衣服

scrap n. [~s] 残羹剩饭

in the meantime 与此同时

treat v. 对待

slave n. 奴隶

keep...a secret 将……保守秘密

discover v. 发现

unwed adj. 未婚的

fire v. 解雇

save v. 节省

sew v. 缝补

(sew-sewed-sewn)

wig-maker n. 制假发者

demand v. 索要

One Point Lesson

I've been sleeping on a wooden one in prison for nineteen years.

我已经在监狱里睡了19年木椅。

have/has been＋ -ing： 现在完成时，表示持续到现在一直进行的动作。

e. g. He has been waiting for you for two hours.

他已经等了你两个小时。

I'll get her as soon as I have a job.

我一找到工作就来接她。

as soon as ＋从句：表示“一……就……”。

e. g. She ran away as soon as she saw me.

她一看到我就跑了。 VGKEAka7+5FufRS+aaO6asGbH2MSsm3dAE8P3i7H2vc0CSyiTfO/ZONT0GjLHmPd