CHAPTER VII--ADVENTURES OF THE LETTER U DELIVERED OVER TO CONJECTURES

  Isolation, detachment, from everything, pride, independence, the tasteof nature, the absence of daily and material activity, the life withinhimself, the secret conflicts of chastity, a benevolent ecstasy towardsall creation, had prepared Marius for this possession which is calledpassion. His worship of his father had gradually become a religion,and, like all religions, it had retreated to the depths of his soul.Something was required in the foreground. Love came.

  A full month elapsed, during which Marius went every day to theLuxembourg. When the hour arrived, nothing could hold him back.--"Heis on duty," said Courfeyrac. Marius lived in a state of delight. It iscertain that the young girl did look at him.

  He had finally grown bold, and approached the bench. Still, he did notpass in front of it any more, in obedience to the instinct of timidityand to the instinct of prudence common to lovers. He considered itbetter not to attract "the attention of the father." He combined hisstations behind the trees and the pedestals of the statues with aprofound diplomacy, so that he might be seen as much as possible by theyoung girl and as little as possible by the old gentleman. Sometimes, heremained motionless by the half-hour together in the shade of a Leonidasor a Spartacus, holding in his hand a book, above which his eyes, gentlyraised, sought the beautiful girl, and she, on her side, turned hercharming profile towards him with a vague smile. While conversing in themost natural and tranquil manner in the world with the white-haired man,she bent upon Marius all the reveries of a virginal and passionate eye.Ancient and time-honored manouvre which Eve understood from the veryfirst day of the world, and which every woman understands from the veryfirst day of her life! her mouth replied to one, and her glance repliedto another.

  It must be supposed, that M. Leblanc finally noticed something, foroften, when Marius arrived, he rose and began to walk about. He hadabandoned their accustomed place and had adopted the bench by theGladiator, near the other end of the walk, as though with the objectof seeing whether Marius would pursue them thither. Marius did notunderstand, and committed this error. "The father" began to growinexact, and no longer brought "his daughter" every day. Sometimes, hecame alone. Then Marius did not stay. Another blunder.

  Marius paid no heed to these symptoms. From the phase of timidity, hehad passed, by a natural and fatal progress, to the phase of blindness.His love increased. He dreamed of it every night. And then, anunexpected bliss had happened to him, oil on the fire, a redoubling ofthe shadows over his eyes. One evening, at dusk, he had found, onthe bench which "M. Leblanc and his daughter" had just quitted, ahandkerchief, a very simple handkerchief, without embroidery, but white,and fine, and which seemed to him to exhale ineffable perfume. He seizedit with rapture. This handkerchief was marked with the letters U. F.Marius knew nothing about this beautiful child,--neither her familyname, her Christian name nor her abode; these two letters were the firstthing of her that he had gained possession of, adorable initials, uponwhich he immediately began to construct his scaffolding. U was evidentlythe Christian name. "Ursule!" he thought, "what a delicious name!" Hekissed the handkerchief, drank it in, placed it on his heart, on hisflesh, during the day, and at night, laid it beneath his lips that hemight fall asleep on it.

  "I feel that her whole soul lies within it!" he exclaimed.

  This handkerchief belonged to the old gentleman, who had simply let itfall from his pocket.

  In the days which followed the finding of this treasure, he onlydisplayed himself at the Luxembourg in the act of kissing thehandkerchief and laying it on his heart. The beautiful child understoodnothing of all this, and signified it to him by imperceptible signs.

  "O modesty!" said Marius.