"Was it you who told Basque not to make a fire then?"
"Yes, since we are now in the month of May."
"But we have a fire until June.
One is needed all the year in this cellar."
"I thought that a fire was unnecessary."
"That is exactly like one of your ideas!" retorted Cosette.
On the following day there was a fire.
But the two arm-chairs were arranged at the other end of the room near the door. "--What is the meaning of this?" thought Jean Valjean.
He went for the arm-chairs and restored them to their ordinary place near the hearth.
This fire lighted once more encouraged him, however.
He prolonged the conversation even beyond its customary limits.
As he rose to take his leave, Cosette said to him:
"My husband said a queer thing to me yesterday."
"What was it?"
"He said to me:
`Cosette, we have an income of thirty thousand livres. Twenty-seven that you own, and three that my grandfather gives me.''
I replied:
`That makes thirty.''
He went on: `Would you have the courage to live on the three thousand?'' I answered:
`Yes, on nothing.
Provided that it was with you.'' And then I asked:
`Why do you say that to me?''
He replied: `I wanted to know.''"
Jean Valjean found not a word to answer.
Cosette probably expected some explanation from him; he listened in gloomy silence. He went back to the Rue de l''Homme Arme; he was so deeply absorbed that he mistook the door and instead of entering his own house, he entered the adjoining dwelling.