'Marius！what an ugly name！what possessed them to name him Marius？While you，at least，are called Theodule.'
'I would rather be called Alfred，'said the officer.
'Listen，Theodule.'
'I am listening，aunt.'
'Pay attention.'
'I am paying attention.'
'You understand？'
'Yes.'
'Well，Marius absents himself！'
'Eh！eh！'
'He travels.'
'Ah！ah！'
'He spends the night out.'
'Oh！oh！'
'We should like to know what there is behind all this.'
Theodule replied with the composure of a man of bronze：——
'Some petticoat or other.'
And with that inward laugh which denotes certainty，he added：——
'A lass.'
'That is evident，'exclaimed his aunt，who thought she heard M.Gillenormand speaking，and who felt her conviction become irresistible at that word fillette，accentuated in almost the very same fashion by the granduncle and the grandnephew.
She resumed：——
'Do us a favor.
Follow Marius a little.
He does not know you，it will be easy.
Since a lass there is，try to get a sight of her.You must write us the tale.
It will amuse his grandfather.'
Theodule had no excessive taste for this sort of spying；but he was much touched by the ten louis，and he thought he saw a chance for a possible sequel.
He accepted the commission and said：'As you please，aunt.'
And he added in an aside，to himself：
'Here I am a duenna.'
Mademoiselle Gillenormand embraced him.
'You are not the man to play such pranks，Theodule.
You obey discipline，you are the slave of orders，you are a man of scruples and duty，and you would not quit your family to go and see a creature.'
The lancer made the pleased grimace of Cartouche when praised for his probity.
Marius，on the evening following this dialogue，mounted the diligence without suspecting that he was watched.
As for the watcher，the first thing he did was to fall asleep.
His slumber was complete and conscientious.
Argus snored all night long.
At daybreak，the conductor of the diligence shouted：
'Vernon！relay of Vernon！
Travellers for Vernon！'
And Lieutenant Theodule woke.
'Good，'he growled，still half asleep，'this is where I get out.'
Then，as his memory cleared by degrees，the effect of waking，he recalled his aunt，the ten louis，and the account which he had undertaken to render of the deeds and proceedings of Marius.This set him to laughing.
'Perhaps he is no longer in the coach，'he thought，as he rebuttoned the waistcoat of his undress uniform.
'He may have stopped at Poissy；he may have stopped at Triel；if he did not get out at Meulan，he may have got out at Mantes，unless he got out at Rolleboise，or if he did not go on as far as Pacy，with the choice of turning to the left at Evreus，or to the right at Laroche-Guyon.Run after him，aunty.
What the devil am I to write to that good old soul？'
At that moment a pair of black trousers descending from the imperial，made its appearance at the window of the coupe.
'Can that be Marius？'said the lieutenant.
It was Marius.
A little peasant girl，all entangled with the horses and the postilions at the end of the vehicle，was offering flowers to the travellers.'Give your ladies flowers！'she cried.
Marius approached her and purchased the finest flowers in her flat basket.
'Come now，'said Theodule，leaping down from the coupe，'this piques my curiosity.
Who the deuce is he going to carry those flowers to？She must be a splendidly handsome woman for so fine a bouquet.I want to see her.'
And no longer in pursuance of orders，but from personal curiosity，like dogs who hunt on their own account，he set out to follow Marius.
Marius paid no attention to Theodule.
Elegant women descended from the diligence；he did not glance at them.
He seemed to see nothing around him.
'He is pretty deeply in love！'thought Theodule.
Marius directed his steps towards the church.
'Capital，'said Theodule to himself.
'Rendezvous seasoned with a bit of mass are the best sort.
Nothing is so exquisite as an ogle which passes over the good God's head.'
On arriving at the church，Marius did not enter it，but skirted the apse.
He disappeared behind one of the angles of the apse.
'The rendezvous is appointed outside，'said Theodule.
'Let's have a look at the lass.'
And he advanced on the tips of his boots towards the corner which Marius had turned.
On arriving there，he halted in amazement.
Marius，with his forehead clasped in his hands，was kneeling upon the grass on a grave.
He had strewn his bouquet there.
At the extremity of the grave，on a little swelling which marked the head，there stood a cross of black wood with this name in white letters：COLONEL BARON PONTMERCY.
Marius'sobs were audible.
The'lass'was a grave.
BOOK THIRD.——THE GRANDFATHER AND THE GRANDSON
Ⅷ MARBLE AGAINST GRANITE
It was hither that Marius had come on the first occasion of his absenting himself from Paris.
It was hither that he had come every time that M.Gillenormand had said：
'He is sleeping out.'
Lieutenant Theodule was absolutely put out of countenance by this unexpected encounter with a sepulchre；he experienced a singular and disagreeable sensation which he was incapable of analyzing，and which was composed of respect for the tomb，mingled with respect for the colonel.
He retreated，leaving Marius alone in the cemetery，and there was discipline in this retreat.
Death appeared to him with large epaulets，and he almost made the military salute to him.Not knowing what to write to his aunt，he decided not to write at all；and it is probable that nothing would have resulted from the discovery made by Theodule as to the love affairs of Marius，if，by one of those mysterious arrangements which are so frequent in chance，the scene at Vernon had not had an almost immediate counter-shock at Paris.
