CHAPTER V

THE OLD MAN


Let us recount what had taken place.

Enjolras and his friends had been on the Boulevard Bourdon,
near the public storehouses, at the moment when the dragoons had made
their charge. Enjolras, Courfeyrac, and Combeferre were among those
who had taken to the Rue Bassompierre, shouting: "To the barricades!"
In the Rue Lesdiguieres they had met an old man walking along.
What had attracted their attention was that the goodman was walking
in a zig-zag, as though he were intoxicated. Moreover, he had his
hat in his hand, although it had been raining all the morning,
and was raining pretty briskly at the very time. Courfeyrac had
recognized Father Mabeuf. He knew him through having many times
accompanied Marius as far as his door. As he was acquainted with the
peaceful and more than timid habits of the old beadle-book-collector,
and was amazed at the sight of him in the midst of that uproar,
a couple of paces from the cavalry charges, almost in the midst
of a fusillade, hatless in the rain, and strolling about among
the bullets, he had accosted him, and the following dialogue
had been exchanged between the rioter of fire and the octogenarian:--

"M. Mabeuf, go to your home."

"Why?"

"There's going to be a row."

"That's well."

"Thrusts with the sword and firing, M. Mabeuf."

"That is well."

"Firing from cannon."

"That is good. Where are the rest of you going?"

"We are going to fling the government to the earth."

"That is good."

And he had set out to follow them. From that moment forth he
had not uttered a word. His step had suddenly become firm;
artisans had offered him their arms; he had refused with a sign
of the head. He advanced nearly to the front rank of the column,
with the movement of a man who is marching and the countenance
of a man who is sleeping.

"What a fierce old fellow!" muttered the students. The rumor spread
through the troop that he was a former member of the Convention,--
an old regicide. The mob had turned in through the Rue de la Verrerie.

Little Gavroche marched in front with that deafening song which made
of him a sort of trumpet.

He sang:
"Voici la lune qui paratt,
Quand irons-nous dans la foret?
Demandait Charlot a Charlotte.

Tou tou tou
Pour Chatou.
Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"Pour avoir bu de grand matin
La rosee a meme le thym,
Deux moineaux etaient en ribotte.

Zi zi zi
Pour Passy.
Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"Et ces deux pauvres petits loups,
Comme deux grives estaient souls;
Une tigre en riait dans sa grotte.

Don don don
Pour Meudon.
Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"L'un jurait et l'autre sacrait.
Quand irons nous dans la foret?
Demandait Charlot a Charlotte.

Tin tin tin
Pour Pantin.
Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte."[46]

They directed their course towards Saint-Merry.


[46] Here is the morn appearing. When shall we go to the forest,
Charlot asked Charlotte. Tou, tou, tou, for Chatou, I have but one God,
one King, one half-farthing, and one boot. And these two poor little
wolves were as tipsy as sparrows from having drunk dew and thyme very
early in the morning. And these two poor little things were as drunk
as thrushes in a vineyard; a tiger laughed at them in his cave.
The one cursed, the other swore. When shall we go to the forest?
Charlot asked Charlotte.