74. The Intestine of the Leviathan
On disarranging Marius' garments, he had found two things in his pockets, the roll which had been forgotten there on the preceding evening, and Marius' pocketbook. He ate the roll and opened the pocketbook. On the first page he found the four lines written by Marius. The reader will recall them: "My name is Marius Pontmercy. Carry my body to my grandfather, M. Gillenormand, Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, No. 6, in the Marais." Jean Valjean read these four lines by the light of the air-hole, and remained for a moment as though absorbed in thought, repeating in a low tone: "Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, number 6, Monsieur Gillenormand." He replaced the pocketbook in Marius' pocket. He had eaten, his strength had returned to him; he took Marius up once more upon his back, placed the latter's head carefully on his right shoulder, and resumed his descent of the sewer. - Vol 5, book 3, chapter 4
Valjean and Marius entered Parisian Sewer not to be seen by the National Guards or the police and get out of the barricade.
He walked deeper and deeper into the underground of Paris, he believed his luck, if he followed the downhill, to reach the Seine. However, there were lots of hazards awaiting him.
To prevent failed revolutionaries running into sewers, there were officers on patrol. Valjean saw them following behind him, and tried to hide from them.
Next, there were hazards made by the sewer itself like swamps, deep, thick layers of sewage, and the low ceiling. But he had to keep moving, because he was carrying a dying person.
Soon, he had to stop for haemostasis Marius' wound. A notebook fell from Marius' pocket. There, he found Marius' testament. Because of that, Valjean found out where this young man lived.
He finally reached to the sewer's end, but the gate was shut tightly.
Behind him, a man approached with some keys. He was Thenardier. He was in the sewer during the revolution, in order to rob the dead bodies from both revolutionaries and the forces. He suggested to pass the gate if he pays for 'the dead body'. He thought he murdered that young man at the barricade, and he needed to throw the body into the river.
Valjean paid all he had, and Thenardier opened the gate. At that time, Thenardier tore off some of Marius' clothes, to identify the assassinated man and the assassin.
When Valjean carried Marius out of the damp, dirty sewer, a man was standing by with a carriage.
That was Javert. He was there to watch and arrest Thenardier hiding in the sewer, but then the old convict and a young revolutionary went out of the gate. Valjean asked for Javert to take this young man to home, then arrest him later.
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