[Masterpiece Les Miserables] Paris Sparks

According to Enjolras' reply, he would arrive in Paris by train one morning at the end of August.

Corona got up very early that day, almost before dawn.In the light, she finished her makeup, braided her hair, and used shadows to paint the outline of her throat that would be mistaken for her Adam's apple. Then she looked at the mirror again and again with the dawn light outside the window, for fear that the color under the light would be different. wrong.The sky outside was gloomy, and it looked like it might rain, so she washed her face again with makeup on, and wiped her face with a towel for a long time to ensure that the paint would never be washed away by water.After everything was ready, she casually ate two bites of bread, greeted Jean Valjean, and got up to leave.

"You have hardly eaten anything," asked Jean Valjean.It was too early - Fantine hadn't even gotten up, and Toussaint, the old housemaid, had just gotten up to prepare breakfast.Except for a little movement in the kitchen, the house was quiet, only the two of them were talking quietly, so quiet that Corona could almost hear her own heartbeat.

"I've already eaten." She said perfunctorily.When a person is so nervous, how can he have the appetite to eat?She felt her stomach twist into a ball, and even the air would be squeezed out, not to mention anything else.

Jean Valjean's expression expressed his disapproval very clearly.If this situation were changed to Cosette, he would definitely object without even thinking about it.But although Coronne respected him as an elder, Jean Valjean still retained considerable respect and etiquette for her—he still regarded her as "the benefactor's daughter", rather than a junior whom he had the right to discipline.Therefore, he only asked: "Where are you going so early? I can accompany you."

"I'm going to pick up a friend at the station. Don't worry, I'll be back before noon—the afternoon is an invitation from the Countess of Morcerf, and I don't dare to be late."

Smiling at Jean Valjean, she tore off her baggy shirt, and hurried away through the back door.

It was gloomy.The air was still breathless with the sticky, dull heat of the end of summer, as if a downpour was brewing.Corona thought she wasn't walking fast, but when she reached the station, she felt almost out of breath and her heart was pounding.The damned weird weather of summer!Clutching her long shirt at her breast, she slipped through the crowd at the station, and in a moment she found Combeferre, who saw her at the same time, and beckoned to her.The station was crowded and stuffy, but he stood beside a large pile of cargo boxes that had just been unloaded, and the strong wooden box blocked part of the crowd for him.

"Today is really boring." Corona complained.

"Really? Perhaps I was too excited to notice it," said Combeferre, smiling. "Enjolras and I have not been separated for so long since we have known each other—he will love Paris."

"You can't wait to turn our art salon into a small revolutionary group hosted by Enjolras, aren't you?" Corona joked.

"As if we were talking about art! Haven't we become a half-revolutionary clique already? Who was talking about the fights women fought in the French Revolution last week, Cole?"

"Okay——" Corona couldn't refute, and also smiled, "However, it's a pity that Enjolras is not as enthusiastic about art as I am about revolution!"

"That's true." Combeferre shook his head half in love, half in resignation, "but you should rest for a while. Did you come running here?"

"—No. What?"

"Isn't it? It must be that your long-sleeved shirt is too hot. Your cheeks are flushed."

The paint on Corona's face can somewhat cover and neutralize her complexion.If Combeferre had felt that her cheeks were flushed, her real face was almost on fire! "Really?" she asked, and pressed the back of her hand to her face, and she really felt her cheeks were hot. "It's too hot! The weather is very stuffy today, and there will definitely be heavy rain in the afternoon!"

"Yes, I hope we'll be at the lodgings by then--but I suppose you've got other things to do this afternoon, don't you?"

"Oh, how sad, but I'm past the age of a waif who wanders around the streets all day." Corona half-jokingly said.

Combeferre smiled indulgently: "Let us hope, then, that the train will not be delayed!"

Fortunately, the train was indeed not delayed.At the scheduled 45:[-], the locomotive dragged a long steam into the station.Then it was as if the floodgates of the dam had been opened, and the whole station was suddenly drowned out by the uproar of human voices.Combeferre stood up straight and looked into the crowd, while Coronne stood behind him, trying to pretend not to be so excited, but her clasped hands were already wet with sweat after a while , The palm of the hand wiped and wiped on the coat.Finally, finally - after a long wait that seemed to have passed a century, Combeferre pushed forward against the crowd, stretched out his hand, and dragged a blond figure to them.

"Enjolras!" He warmly embraced Enjolras, "Long time no see, my dear friend."

"Indeed, long time no see!" said Enjolras, returning the hug.Then he turned to Corona.

Ah, what happened to him all this time?The star-like boy she remembered when she first met hid away, and his cold and distant temperament became more and more prominent. Compared with a living person, he is now more like a marble statue.But the encounter with Gong Baifei brought a sincere smile on his lips. This smile brought out the freshness of a young man, proving that he is indeed still in the world.He didn't try to hug her, just reached out to her, but there was a warm concern in his blue eyes that brought him closer than a statue of an angel, "And I haven't seen you for even longer, Cole. Is everything all right?"

She was not as excited, nervous, or even timid as she was when she saw him—but when she saw Enjolras, all these anxious emotions disappeared suddenly, like ice and snow melting in the sun.All she remembered was their encounter, the sharp, concise and friendly words in their letters.Her heart was filled with sudden joy and concern, leaving no room for panic. "I'm fine!" she said with a smile, shaking Enjolras's hand firmly.

Combeferre had already picked up one of Enjolras' trunks. "Come on, let's send you to school before it rains!"

"Does it often rain in Paris?" Enjolras asked as he followed them out of the train station, carrying another suitcase.

"It's not as much as in London." Corona, who was leading the way, turned her head and smiled at him. "The rain today is probably specially made to welcome you!"

Enjolras snorted. "That's really an honor."

Both Corona and Combeferre laughed. "I hope Paris likes you," said Combeferre, "for I know you will like Paris!"

"It's conceivable—it looks like you both have fallen in love with her."

"Just seize the opportunity to laugh at us, Enjolras! You will love Paris more than we all will."

"How dare I laugh at you?" said Enjolras. "You have been here so long—in this city that gave birth to so many great revolutions! Paris is the place where revolutionary ideas gather and stir, and I, I'm afraid I've been shut out for far too long."

"Listen to what you say, Enjolras." Combeferre laughed. "You have only been in Paris for less than five minutes, but it seems that you have loved her for many years!"

"Which young man yearning for revolution is not like this?" Enjolras replied seriously, but there was a smile in his eyes.

"Well, I have foreseen it." Corona laughed, "Our art salon will inevitably become a revolutionary group!"

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "The Salon?" he asked Combeferre.

Combeferre laughed. "Where is the Art Salon!—do you remember the Collins Tavern mentioned in our letter to you?"

"How could I have forgotten Collins! I hope you do intend to introduce me to your friends."

"That's what we planned, but in reality, you have to count on Combeferre." Corona said with a smile.

"Why, now that Enjolras is here, can't you be tempted to stay longer at Collins?" asked Combeferre.

Corona knew that there was no other meaning in what he said, it was just a casual joke, but her heart still missed a beat. "You speak as if I don't want to see you!" She said with a smile, "Didn't I pass by as soon as I have time?"

But she had already begun to count happily in her heart.The literacy class on Wednesday and Sunday can hardly be changed; the art salon on Tuesday is a necessary entertainment she has to attend in order to maintain her status as a painter.Every few weeks, there will be social gatherings on Fridays, but Fridays and Saturdays are the time for her to concentrate on painting.Maybe she could go to Collins on a Monday every so often...

"—then we are waiting for your next reward," said Combeferre.

When she returned at noon, Corona still maintained a happy mood.

She returned early and was unable to lunch with Combeferre and Enjolras: in the afternoon there was an invitation from the Countess of Morcerf to introduce her to a judge's wife who had heard of Coronne's Because of her fame, she wanted to invite her to make a portrait of her little daughter.

As a girl who is beautiful and has wealth—even if most of this wealth has been carefully concealed—it is not easy to live among the nobles.Without a protective umbrella, a girl living alone can easily be eaten alive by power.Fortunately, when Caton passed away, the Countess of Morcerf kindly became her new protector out of a contingency with her.Therefore, only the Countess of Morcerf's invitation, she must never refuse, and she must never be absent.She went home early, washed off the makeup on her face, and changed her clothes.

But when she saw the countess in the afternoon, she looked sad.

"Dear Corona, have you been free lately?" she asked.

Corona's heart sank, and she already had a premonition that something might have changed.

"If you have ordered me, I am naturally free anytime." She replied with a smile, "Why do you ask such a question, madam?"

"I saw Renee only this morning," said the countess. "The doctor says she's getting worse."

"Madame de Villefort?" asked Corona.She didn't know much about this lady, she just met a few times at the banquet and had a few polite conversations.Over the years, Judge Villefort's office has become bigger and bigger, and he has gradually become a hot figure in the social arena, but Mrs. Villefort seldom shows up after a serious illness.

"It was she," said the countess. "Renée told me that the only thing in the world she couldn't let go of was her daughter: the little girl was only five years old. She longed for a portrait." , even if it’s just a small portrait in a locket, it can be left to her daughter; I also hope that I can take my daughter’s portrait to heaven.”

Who can refuse such a request? "I shall do my best," said Coronne, overturning all the timetables she had scrambled. "For two weeks from now, I will be at your and Madame de Villefort's bidding."

The author has something to say: I have been thinking about the frequency of Enjolras' appearance in this article for a long time, and I began to wonder if what I wrote is a romance... (probably not)