CHAPTER XII.
M. BAMATABOIS' IDLENESS.
There is in all small towns, and there was at M---- in particular, aclass of young men, who squander fifteen hundred francs a year in theprovinces with the same air as those of the same set in Paris devourtwo hundred thousand. They are beings of the great neutral species;geldings, parasites, nobodies, who possess a little land, a littlefolly, and a little wit, who would be rustics in a drawing-room, andbelieve themselves gentlemen in a pot-house. They talk about my fields,my woods, my peasants, horses, the actresses, to prove themselvesmen of taste; quarrel with the officers, to prove themselves men ofwar; shoot, smoke, yawn, drink, smell of tobacco, play at billiards,watch the travellers get out of the stage-coach, live at the caf?,dine at the inn, have a dog that gnaws bones under the table, and amistress who places the dishes upon it; haggle over a son, exaggeratethe fashions, admire tragedy, despise women, wear out their old boots,copy London through Paris, and Paris through Pont-?-Mousson; growstupidly old, do not work, are of no use, and do no great harm. Had M.F?lix Tholomy?s remained in his province and not seen Paris, he wouldhave been one of them. If they were richer, people would say they aredandies; if poorer, they are loafers; but they are simply men withoutoccupation. Among them there are bores and bored, dreamers, and a fewscamps.
At that day, a dandy was composed of a tall collar, a large cravat,a watch and seals, three waist-coats over one another, blue and redinside, a short-waisted olive-colored coat, with a swallow tail, and adouble row of silver buttons, sewn on close together, and ascending tothe shoulders, and trousers of a lighter olive, adorned on the seamswith an undetermined but always uneven number of ribs, varying from oneto eleven, a limit which was never exceeded. Add to this, slipper-bootswith iron-capped heels, a tall, narrow-brimmed hat, hair in a tuft,an enormous cane, and a conversation improved by Potier's puns; overand above all these were spurs and moustachios, for at that periodmoustachios indicated the civilian, and spurs the pedestrian. Theprovincial dandy wore longer spurs and more ferocious moustachios. Itwas the period of the struggle of the South American Republics againstthe King of Spain, of Bolivar against Morillo. Narrow-brimmed hats wereRoyalist, and called Morillos, while the Liberals wore broad brims,which were called Bolivars.
Eight or ten months after the events we have described in the previouschapter, toward the beginning of January, and on a night when snow hadfallen, one of these dandies--a man of "right sentiments," for he worea Morillo, and was also warmly wrapped up in one of the large Spanishcloaks which at that time completed the fashionable costume in coldweather--was amusing himself by annoying a creature who was prowlingabout in a low-neck balldress, and with flowers in her hair, beforethe window of the officers' caf?. This dandy was smoking, as that wasa decided mark of fashion. Each time this woman passed him, he madesome remark to her, which he fancied witty and amusing, as: "How uglyyou are!--Why don't you go to kennel?--You have no teeth," etc., etc.This gentleman's name was Monsieur Bamatabois. The woman, a sad-dressedphantom walking backwards and forwards in the snow, made him no answer,did not even look at him, but still continued silently and with agloomy regularity her walk, which, every few minutes, brought herunder his sarcasms, like the condemned soldier running the gauntlet.The slight effect produced doubtless annoyed the idler, for takingadvantage of her back being turned, he crept up behind her, stooped topick up a handful of snow, and suddenly plunged it between her bareshoulders. The girl uttered a yell, turned, leaped like a pantheron the man, and dug her nails into his face with the most frightfullanguage that could fall from a guard-room into the gutter. Theseinsults, vomited by a voice rendered hoarse by brandy, hideously issuedfrom a mouth in which the two front teeth were really missing. It wasFantine.
At the noise, the officers left the caf? in a throng, the passers-bystopped, and a laughing, yelling, applauding circle was made roundthese two beings, in whom it was difficult to recognize a man and awoman,--the man struggling, his hat on the ground, the woman strikingwith feet and fists, bareheaded, yelling, without teeth or hair, lividwith passion, and horrible. All at once a tall man quickly brokethrough the crowd, seized the woman's satin dress, which was coveredwith mud, and said: "Follow me." The woman raised her hand, and herpassionate voice suddenly died out. Her eyes were glassy, she grew paleinstead of being livid, and trembled with fear. She had recognizedJavert. The dandy profited by this incident to make his escape.