have felt if she had been told, "Little one, you are the Queen of France."

Then Cosette went up to the landlady timidly and said, "May I really have it?"

"It is yours," said the landlady. "The gentleman 5 has given it to you."

"Truly, sir?" said Cosette. "Is it true? Is the lady mine?"

The stranger's eyes filled with tears. He nodded to Cosette, and placed the lady's hand in her tiny hand.

In a moment Cosette's rags met and clasped the ribbons and fresh pink dress of the doll. "I shall call her Catherine," she said.

10

It was now time for the landlady's little girls to gaze at Cosette with envy. Cosette placed Catherine on a 15 chair, then seated herself on the floor in front of her. She did not move, but sat there and gazed at her beautiful doll.

"Play, Cosette," said the stranger.

"Oh, I am playing!" replied the child, without even 20 turning her head for an instant.

Soon the landlady sent her daughters to bed. Then she turned to the stranger. "I shall send Cosette to bed, too," she said. "The poor child has worked hard all day."

Cosette went off to bed carrying Catherine in her

arms.

25

PART IV

After the house was quiet, the stranger passed through the hall, as if looking for something. Under the staircase, in the midst of all sorts of old papers, dust, and spiders' webs, was a bed, if it could be called a bed. 5 The old straw mattress, full of holes, lay on the floor, and there were neither pillows nor sheets. In this bed Cosette was sleeping.

The man gazed down at her.

She was sleeping soundly; she was dressed. Against 10 her breast she held the doll, whose large blue eyes shone in the darkness. Beside her bed there was only one of her wooden shoes. A door of a large room stood open. The stranger stepped into it. By the fireplace stood two dainty little shoes ready for the good 15 fairy of Christmas. The man bent over them, and in each he saw a new shining silver piece.

The man was about to go away when, at the other end of the fireplace, in the darkest corner, he saw a wooden shoe, half broken and covered with mud. It 20 was Cosette's shoe. She was a child, and had a child's faith.

There was nothing in this wooden shoe, but the stranger bent over and placed a beautiful gold piece in it. He then returned to his room as quietly as 25 possible.

"Up so early?" said the landlady to the stranger the next morning. "Are you going to leave us so soon?"

"Yes, Madame, I am going."

She silently handed him his bill. He unfolded the paper, glanced at it and paid it, but his mind was on something else.

"Madame," he said, "do you have a good business 5 here?"

"Oh, sir," she began, "the times are very hard, and there are few rich travelers like you. And that child eats us out of house and home."

"What child?" said the stranger.

"Why, the little one, Cosette - the Lark, as she is called about here."

The man spoke again, and his voice trembled a little. "Suppose I should take her away. Will you let me have her?"

"Who? Cosette?"

"Yes."

"Ah! sir, my dear sir, take her, keep her, carry her away. Will you really take her away?"

"I will take her at once. Call the child." "Cosette!" screamed the landlady.

10

15

20

But at that moment the landlord came toward the stranger and said: "Excuse me, sir. But I cannot consent to your taking our little Cosette away. I saw her first when she was a tiny thing, and I should miss 25 her. She has neither father nor mother. It is true that she costs us money; it is true that she has her faults; it is true that we are not rich. But we love the little Lark, and if we were to let her go, we should

not wish to lose sight of her. We should like to know with whom she is living, so that we could go to see her from time to time. Am I not right? We do not even know your name."

5 The stranger replied in a grave, firm voice: "Only a few days before this little girl's mother died, I promised her that I would take her little girl away from here. I will show you the written order which her mother gave me. I will pay you any money that she owes 10 you. But if I take Cosette away, I shall take her away, and that is the end of the matter. You will not know my name, you will not know where I live, you will not know where she is; and I do not mean that she shall ever set eyes on you again so long as she lives. I break 15 the thread which binds her foot, and she departs. Does that suit you? Yes or no?"

"I am a very poor man, and I need fifteen hundred francs," said the landlord. "If you take Cosette away, you must give me the money."

20 The stranger took from his side pocket an old black leather pocketbook. He opened it and drew out the written order from Cosette's mother, and three bank bills. He handed the order to the landlord, and laid the bills on the table. He then placed his large thumb 25 on the bills, and said to the landlord, "I will take Cosette; bring her here."

While this was taking place, what had Cosette been doing?

As soon as she was awake, she had run to her wooden

shoe and had found the gold piece in it. She had never seen one before. She hid it in her pocket, as if she had stolen it. Still, she felt that it was really hers, but her joy was full of fear.

She had set about her morning duties when the land-5 lady called her.

"Cosette," she said, almost gently, "come immediately."

An instant later, Cosette entered the room. The stranger took up a bundle which he had brought and 10 untied it. This bundle contained a complete outfit for a little girl eight years old.

"My child," said the man, "take these and dress yourself quickly.”

An hour later, there passed on the road to Paris, an 15 old man leading a little girl, who was carrying a pink doll in her arms.

No one knew the man; as Cosette was no longer in rags, many did not recognize her. Cosette was going away. With whom? She did not know. Where? 20 She knew not. All that she understood was that she was leaving that dreadful hotel, her fierce mistress, and her cruel master. She walked along, with her large eyes wide open, and gazing at the sky. She had the gold piece in the pocket of her new apron. From time 25 to time, she bent down and glanced at it; then she looked up at the good old man.

This old man and this little girl walked along hand in hand until the little girl was tired. She did not say