Les Miserables

which he said, gaily:
"The head at thirty, the knees at forty." His digestion was not
good, and he had a weeping eye. But in proportion as his youth died
out, his gaiety increased. he replaced his teeth by jests, his hair by
joy, his health by irony, and his weeping eye was always laughing.
He was dilapidated, but covered with flowers. His youth, decamping
long before its time, was beating a retreat in good order, bursting
with laughter, and displaying no loss of fire. He had had a piece
refused at the Vaudeville; he made verses now and then on any subject;
moreover, he doubted everything with an air of superiority- a great
power in the eyes of the weak. So, being bald and ironical, he was the
chief. Can the word iron be the root from which irony is derived?
One day, Tholomyes took the other three aside, and said to them with
an oracular gesture:
"For nearly a year, Fantine, Dahlia, Zephine, and Favourite have
been asking us to give them a surprise; we have solemnly promised them
one. They are constantly reminding us of it, me especially. Just as
the old women at Naples cry to Saint January, 'Faccia gialluta, fa
o miracolo, yellow face, do your miracle,' our pretty ones are always
saying: 'Tholomyes, when are you going to be delivered of your
surprise?' At the same time our parents are writing for us. Two
birds with one stone. It seems to me the time has come. Let us talk it
over."
Upon this, Tholomyes lowered his voice, and mysteriously articulated
something so ludicrous that a prolonged and enthusiastic giggling
arose from the four throats at once, and Blacheville exclaimed:
"What an idea!"
{FANTINE|BOOK_3RD|II ^paragraph 20}
An ale-house, filled with smoke, was before them; they entered,
and the rest of their conference was lost in its shade.
The result of this mystery was a brilliant pleasure party, which
took place on the following Sunday, the four young men inviting the
four young girls.

{FANTINE|BOOK_3RD|III
III
FOUR TO FOUR
-
IT is difficult to picture to one's self, at this day, a country
party of students and grisettes as it was forty-five years ago.
Paris has no longer the same environs; the aspect of what we might
call circum-Parisian life has completely changed in half a century; in
place of the rude, one-horse chaise, we have now the railroad car;
in place of the pinnace, we have now the steamboat; we say Fecamp
to-day, as we then said Saint Cloud. The Paris of 1862 is a city which
has France for its suburbs.
The four couples scrupulously accomplished all the country follies
then possible. It was in the beginning of the holidays, and a warm,
clear summer's day. The night before, Favourite, the only one who knew
how to write, had written to Tholomyes in the name of the four: "It is
lucky to go out early." For this reason, they rose at five in