hief-justice''s gate, to sit elbow to elbow on that bench, to gaze through the trees at the scintillation of the on-coming night, to fit a fold of the knee of his trousers into the ample fall of Cosette''s gown, to caress her thumb-nail, to call her thou, to smell of the same flower, one after the other, forever, indefinitely.
During this time, clouds passed above their heads.
Every time that the wind blows it bears with it more of the dreams of men than of the clouds of heaven.
This chaste, almost shy love was not devoid of gallantry, by any means.
To pay compliments to the woman whom a man loves is the first method of bestowing caresses, and he is half audacious who tries it.
A compliment is something like a kiss through a veil. Voluptuousness mingles there with its sweet tiny point, while it hides itself.
The heart draws back before voluptuousness only to love the more.
Marius'' blandishments, all saturated with fancy, were, so to speak, of azure hue.
The birds when they fly up yonder, in the direction of the angels, must hear such words.
There were mingled with them, nevertheless, life, humanity, all the positiveness of which Marius was capable.
It was what is said in the bower, a prelude to what will be said in the chamber; a lyrical effusion, strophe and sonnet intermingled, pleasing hyperboles of cooing, all the refinements of adoration arranged in a bouquet and exhaling a celestial perfume, an ineffable twitter of heart to heart.