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von Les Misérables

Les Misérables

A Musical by
Alain Boublil & Claude Michel Schönberg

**PROLOG**

[1815, Toulon, France. The chain gang, overseen by brutal warders, is working in the sun.]

CHORUS OF CONVICTS:
Look down, look down
Don't look 'em in the eye!
Look down, look down,
You're here until you die!

CONVICT 1
The sun is strong!
It's hot as hell below!

CONVICTS:
Look down, look down,
There's twenty years to go!

CONVICT 2:
I've done no wrong!
Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer!

CONVICTS:
Look down, look down,
Sweet Jesus doesn't care!

CONVICT 3:
I know she'll wait,
I know that she'll be true!

CONVICTS:
Look down, look down,
They've all forgotten you.

CONVICT 4:
When I get free ya won't see me
Here for dust!

CONVICTS:
Look down, look down,
Don't look 'em in the eye.

CONVICT 5:
How long, O Lord
Before you let me die?

CONVICTS:
Look down, look down,
You'll always be a slave
Look down, look down,
You're standing in your grave

[Javert comes]

JAVERT:
Now bring me prisoner 2-4-6-0-1.
Your time is up
And your parole's begun.
You know what that means?

[One of the prisoners is brought forward]

VALJEAN:
Yes, it means I'm free

JAVERT:
NO!
It means you get your yellow ticket-of-leave.
You are a thief!

[He holds out a yellow paper to Valjean.]

VALJEAN:
I stole a loaf of bread!

JAVERT:
You robbed a house!

VALJEAN:
I broke a window pane!
My sister's child was close to death
And we were starving!

JAVERT:
And you will starve again,
Unless you learn the meaning of the law!

VALJEAN:
I know the meaning of these 19 years,
A slave of the law!

JAVERT:
Five years for what you did,
The rest because you tried to run!
Yes, 2-4-6-0-1.

VALJEAN:
My name is Jean Valjean

JAVERT:
And I am Javert.
Do not forget my name.
Do not forget me,
2-4-6-0-1!

[With contempt, Valjean snatches the ticket-of-leave from Javert. A haversack is thrown to his feat. The chain gang leaves]

CHORUS OF THE CONVICTS:
Look down, look down
You will always be a slave
Look down, look down
You're standing in your grave.

VALJEAN:
Freedom is mine. The earth is still.
I feel the wind. I breathe again.
And the sky clears, the world is waiting.
Drink from the pool. How clean the taste.
Never forget the years, the waste.
Nor forgive them, for what they've done.
They are the guilty, everyone.
The day begins...
And now let's see
What this new world
Will do for me!

[He finds work on a farm.]

FARMER:
You'll have to go.
I'll pay you off for the day.
Collect your bits and pieces there
And be on your way.

VALJEAN:
You've given me half
What the other men get!
This handful of tin
Wouldn't buy my sweat!

LABOURER:
You broke the law!
It's there for people to see.
Why should you get the same
As honest men like me?

[They leave him alone.]

VALJEAN:
Now every door is closed to me
Another jail, another key, another chain
For when I come to any town
They check my papers and they find the mark of Cain
In their eyes, I see their fear:
'We do not want you here.'

[He comes to an inn.]

INNKEEPER?S WIFE:
My rooms are full
And I've no supper to spare
I'd like to help a stranger
All we want is to be fair.

VALJEAN:
I will pay in advance
I can sleep in a barn
You see how dark it is
I'm not some kind of dog!

INNKEEPER:
You leave my house
Or feel the weight of my rod.
We're law-abiding people here
Thanks be to God!

[They throw him out.]

VALJEAN:
And now I know how freedom feels:
The jailer always at your heels:
It is the law!
This piece of paper in my hand,
That makes me cursed throughout the land:
It is the law!
Like a cur
I walk the street
The dirt beneath my feet!

[He sits down despairingly outside a house from which emerges the Bishop of Digne.]

BISHOP:
Come in, Sir, for you are weary
And the night is cold out there.
Though our lives are very humble,
What we have, we have to share.
There is wine here to revive you,
There is bread to make you strong,
There's a bed to rest till morning,
Rest from pain, and rest from wrong.

[He bids Valjean into his house and to the table. Valjean sits down eats and drinks.]

VALJEAN:
He let me eat my fill
I had the lion's share
The silver in my hand
Cost twice what I had earned
In all those nineteen years
That lifetime of despair
And yet he trusted me.
The old fool trusted me ?
He's done his bit of good
I played the grateful serf
And thanked him like I should
But when the house was still,
I got up in the night
Took the silver
Took my flight!

[Taking the two silver cups, he runs off, but is brought back by two constables.]

CONSTABLE 1:
Tell his reverence your story.

CONSTABLE 2:
Let us see if he's impressed.

CONSTBLE 1:
You were lodging there last night.

CONSTABLE 2:
You were the honest Bishop's guest.

CONSTABLE 1:
And then, out of Christian goodness,
When he learned about your plight,

CONSTABLE 2:
You maintain he made a present of this silver?

BISHOP:
--that is right.
But my friend you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind.

[The bishop gives Valjean, who is stupefied, two silver candlesticks.]

You forgot I gave these also.
Would you leave the best behind?
So Messieurs you may release him,
For this man has spoken true.
I commend you for your duty.
May God's blessing go with you.

[The constables go.]

But remember this, my brother,
See in this some higher plan.
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man!
By the witness of the martyrs,
By the Passion and the Blood,
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God!

[The Bishop leaves a thunderstruck Valjean alone.]

**WHAT HAVE I DONE?**

VALJEAN:
What have I done?
Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night
Become a dog on the run
And have I fallen so far
And is the hour so late
That nothing remains but the cry of my hate,
The cries in the dark that nobody hears,
Here where I stand at the turning of the years?
If there's another way to go
I missed it twenty long years ago.
My life was a war that could never be won.
They gave me a number and murdered Valjean.
When they chained me and left me for dead
Just for stealing a mouthful of bread.

Yet why did I allow that man
To touch my soul and teach me love?
He treated me like any other.
He gave me his trust.
He called me brother.
My life, he claims for God above
Can such things be?
For I had come to hate this world,
This world which had always hated me!

Take an eye for an eye!
Turn your heart into stone!
This is all I have lived for!
This is all I have known!

One word from him and I'd be back
Beneath the lash, upon the rack
Instead he offers me my freedom,
I feel my shame inside me like a knife.
He told me that I have a soul.
How does he know?
What spirit came to move my life?
Is there another way to go?

I am reaching, but I fall!
And the night is closing in!
And I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin!
I'll escape now from the world
From the world of Jean Valjean!
Jean Valjean is nothing now!
Another story must begin!

[He tears up his yellow ticket-of-leave, throws away the pieces and walks away]

**AT THE END OF THE DAY**

[1823, Montreuil-sur-mer. The setting is outside the factory]

THE POOR:
At the end of the day you're another day older
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor
It's a struggle, it's a war
And there's nothing that anyone's giving
One more day standing about
What is it for?
One day less to be living!

At the end of the day you're another day colder
And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill
And the righteous hurry past
They don't hear the little ones crying
And the winter is coming on fast
Ready to kill
One day nearer to dying!

At the end of the day there's another day dawning
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise
Like the waves crash on the sand
Like a storm that'll break any second
There's a hunger in the land
There's a reckoning still to be reckoned and
There's gonna be hell to pay
At the end of the day!

[The foreman and workers, including Fantine have emerged from the factory.]

FOREMAN:
At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing.
Sitting flat on your butt doesn't buy any bread.

WORKER 1:
There are children back at home.

WORKER 1 &2:
And the children have got to be fed.

WORKER 2:
And you're lucky to be in a job?

WOMAN:
?And in a bed.

WORKERS:
And we're counting our blessings!

GIRL 1:
Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today?

GIRL 2:
With his terrible breath and his wandering hands?

GIRL 3:
It's because little Fantine won't give him his way

GIRL 4:
Take a look at his trousers; you'll see where he stands!

GIRL 5:
And the boss, he never knows
That the foreman is always in heat

GIRL 3:
If Fantine doesn't look out
Watch how she goes
She'll be out on the street!

WOMEN:
At the end of the day it's another day over
With enough in your pocket to last for a week
Pay the landlord, pay the shop
Keep on grafting as long as you're able
Keep on grafting till you drop
Or it's back to the crumbs off the table
You've got to pay your way
At the end of the day.

[The Forewoman grabs a letter from Fantine.]

FOREWOMAN:
And what have we here, little innocent sister?
Come on Fantine let's have all the news.

[She reads the letter.]

'Ooh ... "dear Fantine, you must send us more money... your child needs a doctor... There's no time to lose...."'

FANTINE:
Give that letter to me
It is none of your business.
With a husband at home
And a bit on the side!
Is there anyone here,
Who can swear before God,
She has nothing to fear?
She has nothing to hide?

[The women fight for the letter. A man rushes in to break the squabble He is known as Madeleine; he is the owner of the factory and the mayor of Montreuil-sur-mer. But in truth, he is Jean Valjean, who has successfully started a new life under a false name.]

VALJEAN:
What is this fighting all about?
Will someone tear these two apart?
This is a factory, not a circus.
Come on ladies, settle down
I run a business of repute
I am the Mayor of this town

[To the foreman]

I look to you to sort this out
And be as patient as you can.

[He goes away.].

FOREMAN:
Now someone say how this begun!

FOREWOMAN:
At the end of the day
She's the one who begun it!
There's a kid that she's hiding
In some little town.
There's a man she has to pay
You can guess how she picks up the extra.
You can bet she's earning her keep
Sleeping around
And the boss wouldn't like it!

FANTINE:
Yes it's true there's a child
And the child is my daughter
And her father abandoned us
Leaving us flat.
Now she lives with an innkeeper man and his wife.
And I pay for the child, what's the matter with that?

WOMEN & WORKERS:
At the end of the day
She'll be nothing but trouble
And there's trouble for all
When there's trouble for one!
While we're earning our daily bread
She's the one with her hands in the butter
You must send the slut away
Or we're all gonna end in the gutter
And it's us who'll have to pay
At the end of the day!

FOREMAN:
I might have known the bitch could bite
I might have known the cat had claws
I might have guessed your little secret.
Ah yes, the virtuous Fantine
Who keeps herself so pure and clean
You'd be the cause, I had no doubt,
Of any trouble hereabout
You play a virgin in the light
But need no urging in the night!

FOREWOMAN:
She's been laughing at you,
While she's having her men.

WOMEN:
She'll be nothing but trouble again and again.

FOREWOMAN:
You must sack her today.

ALL WORKERS & WOMEN:
Sack the girl today.

FOREMAN:
Right, my girl!
On your way!

[The workers, the women, the poor and the foreman leave, leaving Fantine alone.]

**I DREAMED A DREAM**

FANTINE:
There was a time when men were kind,
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting.
There was a time; then it all went wrong.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung no wine un-tasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came.

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather...

I had a dream my life would be
So different form this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

**LOVELY LADIES**

[The whores come to the middle of the place. Many different men pass their place.]

SAILOR 1:
I smell women
Smell 'em in the air.
Think I'll drop my anchor in that harbour over there.

SAILOR 2:
Lovely ladies
Smell 'em through the smoke
Seven days at sea can make you hungry for a poke.

SAILOR 3:
Even stokers need a little stoke!

WHORES:
Lovely ladies
Waiting for a bite
Waiting for the customers, who only come at night.
Lovely ladies
Ready for the call
Standing up or lying down or any way at all.
Bargain prices up against the wall.

[Fantine, trying to sell her medallion, and an old woman come.]

OLD WOMAN:
Come here, my dear
Let's see this trinket you wear
This bagatelle...

FANTINE:
Madam, I'll sell it to you!

OLD WOMAN:
I'll give you four.

FANTINE:
That wouldn't pay for the chain!

OLD WOMAN:
I'll give you five.
You're far too eager to sell.
It's up to you.

FANTINE:
It's all I have.

OLD WOMAN:
That's not my fault.

FANTINE:
Please make it ten.

OLD WOMAN:
No more than five.
My dear, we all must stay alive.

[Fantine is paid. Both go.]

WHORES:
Lovely ladies
Waiting in the dark
Ready for a thick one or a quick one in the park.

WHORE 1:
Long time, short time
Anytime, my dear.
Cost a little extra, if you want to take all year.

WHORES:
Quick and cheep is underneath the pier!

[Fantine and an old woman come.]

OLD WOMAN 2:
What pretty hair!
What pretty locks you got there.
What luck you got. It's worth a centime, my dear
I'll take the lot.

FANTINE:
Don't touch me. Leave me alone.

OLD WOMAN 2:
Let's make a price. I'll give you all of ten francs,
Just think of that!

FANTINE:
It pays a debt.

OLD WOMAN 2:
Just think of that.

FANTINE:
What can I do? It pays a debt.
Ten francs may save my poor Cosette!

(Both go.)

SAILOR 1:
Lovely lady!
Fastest on the street.
Wasn't there three minutes: she was back upon her feet.

SAILOR 2:
Lovely lady!
What yer waiting for?
Doesn't take a lot of savvy, just to be a whore.
Come on lady, what's a lady for?

[Fantine re-emerges, her long hair cut short.]

PIMP:
Gimme the dirt
Who's that bit over there?

WHORE 3:
A bit of skirt
She's the one sold her hair.

WHORE 4:
She's got a kid
Sends her all that she can.

PIMP:
I might've known there is always some man
Lovely lady, come along and join us,
Lovely lady!

WHORE 5:
Come on, deary, why all the fuss?
You're no grander than the rest of us.
Life has dropped you at the bottom of the heap.
Join your sisters.

WHORE 6:
Make money in your sleep!

[Fantine goes off with one of the sailors.]

WHORE 7:
That's right, deary
Let 'im have the lot.

WHORE 8:
That's right, deary
Show him what you've got!

WHORE:
Old men, young men,
Take 'em as they come,
Harbour rats and alley cats and every kid of scum.
Poor men, rich men,
Leaders of the land,
See them with heir trousers off
They're never quite as grand
All it takes is money in your hand!

Lovely ladies
Going for a song
Got a lot of callers but they never stay for long.

FANTINE:
Come on, Captain,
You can wear your shoes
Don't it make a change, to have a girl who can't refuse
Easy money?
Lying on a bed.
Just as well they never see the hate that's in your head!
Don't they know?
They're making love to one already dead!

[Bamatabois comes, a well dressed gentleman.]

BAMATABOIS:
Here's something new, I think I'll give it a try.
Come closer you! I like to see what I buy
The usual price, for just a slice of your pie

FANTINE:
I don't want you,
No, no, M'sieur, let me go.

BAMATABOIS:
Is this a trick? I won't pay more!

FANTINE:
No, not at all!

BAMATABOIS:
You've got some nerve, you little whore
You've got some gall.
It's the same with a tart as it is with a grocer
The customer sees what he gets in advance
It's not for the whore to say 'yes sir' or 'no sir'
It's not for the harlot to pick and to choose
Or lead me to a dance!

[He hits her with his stick; she claws at his face, drawing blood.]

FANTINE:
I'll kill you, you bastard, try any of that!
Even a whore who has gone to the bad
Won't be had by a rat!

BAMATABOIS:
By Christ you'll pay for what you have done
This rat will make you bleed, you'll see!
I guarantee, I'll make you suffer
For this disturbance of the peace
For this insult to life and property!

FANTINE:
I beg you, don't report me sir
I'll do whatever you may want

BAMATABOIS:
Make your excuse to the police!

[Javert enters, accompanied by constables.]

JAVERT:
Tell me quickly, what's the story?
Who saw what and why and where?
Let him give a full description
Let him answer to Javert!
In this nest of whores and vipers
Let one speak who saw it all
Who laid hands on this good man here?
What's the substance of this brawl?

BAMATABOIS:
Javert, would you believe it
I was crossing from the park
When this prostitute attacked me
You can see she left her mark

JAVERT:
She will answer for her actions
When you make a full report
You may rest assured, M'sieur,
That she will answer to the court.

FANTINE:
There's a child who sorely needs me
Please M'sieur, she's but that high
Holy God, is there no mercy?
If I go to jail she'll die!

JAVERT:
I have heard such protestations
Every day for twenty years
Let's have no more explanations
Save your breath and save your tears
?Honest work, just reward,
That's the way to please the Lord.?

[Fantine gives a last despairing cry as she is arrested. Valjean emerges from the crowd.]

VALJEAN:
A moment of your time, Javert
I do believe this woman's tale

JAVERT:
But M'sieur Mayor!

VALJEAN:
You've done your duty
Let her be, she needs a doctor, not a jail.

[The soldiers release Fantine.]

JAVERT:
But M'sieur Mayor!

FANTINE:
Can this be?

VALJEAN:
Where will she end, this child without a friend?
I've seen your face before. Show me some way to help you
How have you come to grief in a place such as this?

FANTINE:
M'sieur, don't mock me now, I pray
It's hard enough I've lost my pride
You let your foreman send me away
Yes, you were there, and turned aside
I never did no wrong

VALJEAN:
Is it true, what I have done?

FANTINE:
My daughter's close to dying

VALJEAN:
?To an innocent soul?

FANTINE:
If there's a God above?

VALJEAN:
Had I only known then??

FANTINE:
?He'd let me die instead

VALJEAN:
In His name my task has just begun, I will see it done!
I will see it done!

JAVERT:
But M'sieur Mayor!

VALJEAN:
I will see it done!

JAVERT:
But M'sieur Mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VALJEAN:
I will see it done!!!!!!!!!!!

[Javert is silent. Fantine is carried of to hospital.]

**THE RUNAWAY CART**

VOICES:
Look out! It's a runaway cart!

WOMAN 1:
Look at that!

MAN 1:
Look at that!

WOMAN 2:
It's Monsieur Fauchelevent!

MAN 1:
Don't approach! Don't go near!

WOMAN 2:
At the risk of your life!

MAN 2:
He is caught by the wheel!

MAN 1:
Oh, the pitiful man.

WOMAN 1:
Stay away, turn away,

WOMAN 2:
There is nothing to do?

[The crowd parts to reveal that the cart has crashed, trapping M. Fauchelevent.]

VALJEAN:
Is there anyone here
Who will rescue the man?
Who will help me to shoulder
The weight of the cart?

MAN 3:
Don't go near him, Mr. Mayor
The load is heavy as hell
The old man's a goner for sure.

WOMAN 3:
It'll kill you as well.

[Valjean attempts to lift the cart. They manage to pull Fauchelevent clear.]

FAUCHELEVENT:
M'sieur le Mayor, I have no words
You come from God, you are a saint.

[Javert takes Valjean aside. Everyone leaves.]

JAVERT:
Can this be true?
I don't believe what I see!
A man your age
To be as strong as you are...
A memory stirs?
You make me think of a man
From years ago
A man who broke his parole
He disappeared
Forgive me, Sir,
I would not dare!

VALJEAN:
Say what you must, don't leave it there.

JAVERT:
I have only known one other
Who can do what you have done
He's a convict from the chain gang
He's been ten years on the run
But he couldn't run forever
We have found his hideaway
And he's just been re-arrested
And he comes to court today.
Of course he now denies it
You'd expect that of a con
But he couldn't run forever,
No, not even Jean Valjean!

VALJEAN:
You say this man denies it all
And gives no sign of understanding or repentance?
You say this man is going to trial
And that's he's sure to be returned to serve his sentence?
Come to that, can you be sure,
That I am not your man?

JAVERT:
I have known the thief for ages
Tracked him down through thick and thin
And to make the matter certain
There's the brand upon his skin
He will bend, he will break
This time there is no mistake.

[Javert leaves, Valjean is alone.]

**WHO AM I? **

VALJEAN:
He thinks that man is me!
He knew him at a glance!
That stranger he has found
This man could be my chance
Why should I save his hide?
Why should I right this wrong?
When I have come so far
And struggled for so long?
If I speak, I am condemned
If I stay silent, I am damned!

I am the master of hundreds of workers
They all look to me
How can I abandon them, how can they live
If I am not free?
If I speak, I am condemned
If I stay silent, I am damned!

Who am I?
Can I condemn this man to slavery?
Pretend I do not see his agony?
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgement in my place!
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow man?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope, when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on

Who am I?
Who am I?
I am Jean Valjean!

[He steps in front of the court]

And so Javert, you see it's true,
That man bears no more guilt than you!
Who am I?

[He unbuttons his shirt to reveal the number 24601 tattooed to his chest.]

2-4-6-0-1!

[While everyone is stupefied, Valjean leaves. The court vanishes, a hospital is visible. Fantine is lying in a bed, delirious.]

**FANTINE?S DEATH**

FANTINE:
Cosette, it's turned so cold
Cosette, it's past your bed time!
You've played the day away
And soon it will be night.

Come to me, Cosette, the light is fading
Don't you see the evening star appearing?
Come to me and rest against my shoulder
How fast the minutes fly away and every minute colder!
Hurry near, another day is dying
Don't you hear the winter wind is crying?
There's a darkness which comes without a warning
But I will sing you lullabies and wake you in the morning.

[Valjean enters, shirt re-buttoned.]

VALJEAN:
Oh, Fantine, our time is running out
But, Fantine, I swear this on my life.

FANTINE:
Look, M'sieur, where all the children play.

VALJEAN:
Be at peace, be at peace evermore.

[He sits down on a chair next to her bed.]

FANTINE:
My Cosette...

VALJEAN:
?Shall live in my protection.

FANTINE:
Take her now.

VALJEAN:
Your child will want for nothing.

FANTINE:
Good M'sieur, you come from God in heaven.

VALJEAN:
And none will ever harm Cosette as long as I am living.

FANTINE:
Take my hand
The night grows ever colder.

VALJEAN:
Then I will keep you warm.

FANTINE:
Take my child. I give her to your keeping.

VALJEAN:
Take shelter from the storm.

FANTINE:
For God's sake, please stay till I am sleeping
And tell Cosette I love her and I'll see her when I wake...

[She sinks on her cushion and dies with a smile. Valjean stays seated.]

**THE CONFRONTATION**

[Javert enters. Valjean, on hearing his voice, jumps and turns.]

JAVERT:
Valjean, at last,
We see each other plain!
'M'sieur le Mayor',
You'll wear a different chain!

VALJEAN:
Before you say another word, Javert
Before you chain me up like a slave again.
Listen to me. There is something I must do.
This women leaves behind a suffering child.
There is none but me who can intercede.
In Mercy's name, three days are all I need.
Then I'll return. I pledge my word.
Then I'll return...

JAVERT:
You must think me mad!
I've hunted you across the years.
A man (men) like you can never change.
A man such as you?

JAVERT: VALJEAN:
Men like me can never change! Believe of me what you will!
Men like you can never change! There is a duty that I'm sworn to do!
No. 24601! You know nothing of my life!
All I did was steal some bread!
My duty's to the law!
You have no rights! You know nothing of the world!
Come with me, 24601! You would sooner see me dead!
Now the wheel has turned around, But not before I see this justice done!
Jean Valjean is nothing now.
Dare you talk to me of crime! I am warning you, Javert!
And the price you had to pay! I'm a stronger man by far!
Every man is born in sin, There is power in me yet!
Every man must choose his way! My race is not yet run!
You know nothing of Javert! I am warning you, Javert!
I was born inside a jail. There is nothing I won't dare!
I was born with scum like you! If I have to kill you here,
I am from the gutter too! I'll do what must be done!

[Valjean breaks a chair and threatens Javert with the pieces. Then he turns to Fantine.]

VALJEAN:
And this I swear to you tonight...

JAVERT:
?There is no place for you to hide?

VALJEAN:
?Your child will live within my care?

JAVERT:
?Wherever you may hide away?

VALJEAN:
?And I will raise her to the light.

VALJEAN & JAVERT:
I swear to you, I will be there!

[After a short fight, Javert is knocked out and Valjean leaves hurriedly. The hospital vanishes. Visible is the Thénardiers? inn at Montfermeil. Young Cosette is working there, sweeping the floor.]

**CASTLE ON A CLOUD**

YOUNG COSETTE:
There is a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my sleep,
Aren't any floors for me to sweep,
Not in my castle on a cloud.
There is a room that's full of toys,
There are a hundred boys and girls,
Nobody shouts or talks too loud,
Not in my castle on a cloud.
There is a lady all in white,
Holds me and sings a lullaby,
She's nice to hear and she's soft to touch,
She says "Cosette, I love you very much."
I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries,
Crying at all is not allowed,
Not in my castle on a cloud.

Oh help! I think I hear them now,
And I'm nowhere near finished sweeping and scrubbing and polishing the floor.
Oh, it's her! It's Madame!

**NOW LOOK WHO?S HERE**

[Mme Thénardier enters.]

MME THÉNARDIER:
Now look who's here
The little madam herself!
Pretending once again she's been 'so awfully good?,
Better not let me catch you slacking
Better not catch my eye!
Ten rotten francs your mother sends me
What is that going to buy?
Now take that pail
My little 'Mademoiselle'
And go and draw some water from the well!
We should never have taken you in, in the first place
How stupid, the things that we do!
Like mother like daughter, the scum of the street.

[Young Éponine comes.]

Éponine, come my dear, Éponine, let me see you
You look very well in that new little blue hat
There's some little girls who know how to behave
And they know what to wear and I'm saying thank heaven for that.

Still there, Cosette?
Your tears will do you no good.
I told you fetch some water from the well in the wood...

YOUNG COSETTE:
Please do not send me out alone
Not in the darkness on my own!

MME THÉNARDIER:
Enough of that, or I'll forget to be nice!
You heard me ask for something,
And I never ask twice!

[Young Éponine pushes Cosette out]

**MASTER OF THE HOUSE**

[Thénardier comes as the inn fills up for the evening.]

GUEST 1:
Come on you old pest

GUEST 2:
Fetch a bottle of your best

GUEST 3:
What's the nectar of the day?

THÉNARDIER (coming in with a flask of wine.):
Here, try this lot
Guaranteed to hit the spot
Or I'm not Thénardier.

GUEST 4:
Gissa glass of rum!
Landlord, over here!

THÉNARDIER:
Right away, you scum! (To himself)
Right away, M'sieur! (To customer)

GUEST 5:
God this place has gone to hell

GUEST 6:
So you tell me every year.

GUEST 4:
Mine host Thénardier.
He was there, so they say,
At the field of Waterloo.

GUEST 7:
Got there, it's true,
When the fight was all through?

GUEST 1:
?But he knew just what to do.

GUEST 3:
Crawling through the mud.
So I've heard it said.

GUEST 5:
Picking through the pockets
Of the English dead.

GUEST 8:
He made a tidy score
From the spoils of war.

THÉNARDIER:
My band of soaks,
My den of dissolutes,
My dirty jokes, my always pissed as newts,
My sons of whores,
Spent their lives in my inn,
Homing pigeons homing in,
They fly through my doors,
And their money's as good as yours.

GUEST 1:
Ain't got a clue
What he put into this stew.
Must've scraped it off the street.

GUEST 2:
God, what a wine!
Chateau Neufe de Turpentine!
Must've pressed it with his feet!

GUEST 3:
Landlord, over here!

GUEST 4:
Where's the bloody man?

GUEST 5:
One more for the road! One more slug o' gin!

GIRL:
Just one more, or my old man is gonna do me in.

THÉNARDIER (getting a new costumer.):
Welcome, M'sieur
Sit yourself down
And meet the best innkeeper in town.
As for the rest,
All of them crooks
Crooking their guests and cooking the books.
Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent,
Who's content to be.

Master of the house
Doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake and an open palm
Tells a saucy tale
Makes a little stir
Customers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favour
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!

Master of the house
Keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em of a sou, or two
Watering the wine
Making up the weight
Pickin' up their knick-knacks when they can't see straight
Everybody loves a landlord
Everybody's bosom friend
I do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't I bleed 'em in the end!

THÉNARDIER & CHORUS:
Master of the house
Quick to catch yer eye
Never wants a passer-by to pass him by.
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion!
Everybody's chaperone!

THÉNARDIER:
But lock up your valises
Jesus! Won't I skin you to the bone!

[He turns to another customer.]

Enter M'sieur
Lay down yer load
Unlace yer boots and rest from the road.

[He's taking his back.]

This weights a ton
Travel's a curse
But here we strive to lighten your purse.
Here the goose is cooked
Here the fat is fried
And nothing's overlooked till I'm satisfied...

Food beyond compare
Food beyond belief
Mix it in a miner and pretend it's beef.
Kidney of a horse
Liver of a cat
Filling up the sausages with this and that!
Residents are more than welcome
Bridal suit is occupied!
Reasonable charges plus some little extras on the side!

Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two per cent for looking in the mirror twice.
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three per cent for sleeping with the window shut.
When it comes to fixing prices
There are lots of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!

THÉNARDIER & CHORUS:
Master of the house
Quick to catch your eye
Never wants a passer-by to pass him by
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher and life-long mate
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got.

THÉNARDIER:
Dirty bunch of geezers! Jesus! What a sorry little lot!

[Thénardier goes to the neighbouring room. There's laughter and noise.]

MME THÉNARDIER:
I used to dream, that I would meet a prince.
But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since?

[Laughter and noise]

'Master of the house'?
Isn't worth me spit!
'Comforter, philosopher' - And lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain
Regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a lover but there's not much there.

[Laughter]

What a cruel trick of nature
Landed me with such a louse
God knows how I've lasted living with this bastard in the house!

[Laughter. Thénardier comes back.]

THÉNARDIER & CHORUS:
Master of the house?

MME THÉNARDIER:
Master And a half!

THÉNARDIER & CHORUS:
Comforter, philosopher?

MME THÉNARDIER:
Don't make me laugh!

THÉNARDIER & CHORUS:
Servant to the poor,
Butler to the great!

MME THÉNARDIER:
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!

CHORUS:
Everybody bless the landlord!
Everybody bless his spouse.

THÉNARDIER:
Everybody raise a glass.

MME THÉNARDIER:
Raise it up the master's arse.

ALL:
Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house.

[Laughter and noise.]

**IN THE WOOD**

[Young Cosette is carrying a great bucket through the wood. Valjean arrives. He puts his hand on Cosette's shoulder. She turns.]

VALJEAN:
Hush now, don't be afraid of me.
Don't cry, show me where you live.
Tell me, my child, what is your name?

LITTLE COSETTE:
I'm called Cosette.

[Valjean takes Cosette's hand. They march off.]

**THE BARGAIN***

[Valjean and Young Cosette arrive at the now empty inn, hand in hand.]

VALJEAN:
I found her wandering in the wood
This little child, I found her trembling in the shadows
And I am here to help Cosette
And I will settle any debt you may think proper
I will pay what I must pay to take Cosette away.

There is a duty I must heed,
There is a promise I have made
For I was blind to one in need
I did not see what stood before me
Now her mother is with God
Fantine's suffering is over
And I speak here with her voice
And I stand here in her place
And from this day and evermore

MME THÉNARDIER:
Let me have your coat, M'sieur

VALJEAN:
Cosette shall live in my protection

THÉNARDIER:
You are very welcome here

VALJEAN:
I shall not forsake my vow

THÉNARDIER:
Take a glass

MME THÉNARDIER:
Take a chair

VALJEAN:
Cosette shall have a father now!

THÉNARDIER:
What to do? What to say?
Shall you carry our treasure away?
What a gem! What a pearl!
Beyond rubies is our little girl!
How can we speak of debt?
Let's not haggle for darling Cosette!
Dear Fantine, gone to rest
Have we done for her child what is best?
Shared our bread, shared each bone
Treated her like she's one of our own!
Like our own, Monsieur!

VALJEAN:
Your feelings do you credit, sir
And I will ease the parting blow

[He pays them 500 Francs.]

Let us not talk of bargains or bones or greed
Now, may I say, we are agreed?

MME THÉNARDIER:
That would quite fit the bill
If she hadn't so often been ill
Little dear, cost us dear
Medicines are expensive, M'sieur
Not that we begrudged a sou
It's no more than we Christians must do!

[Valjean pays again 500 Francs.]

THÉNARDIERS:
One thing more, one small doubt
There are treacherous people about
No offence, please reflect
Your intentions may not be... correct?

[Valjean gets up, offended'reminded]

VALJEAN:
No more words, here's your price.
Fifteen hundred for your sacrifice
Come, Cosette, say goodbye,
Let us seek out some friendlier sky.
Thank you both for Cosette
It won't take you too long to forget.

[Valjean gives another 500 francs to Thénardier. The two Thénardiers leave.]

Come, Cosette, come, my dear
From now on I will always be here
Where I go, you will be.

COSETTE:
Will there be children and castles to see?

VALJEAN:
Yes, Cosette, yes, it's true
There's a castle just waiting for you...

[They go.]

**LOOK DOWN**

[Paris, 1832. The teeming, squalid streets of Paris are visible. Beggars, urchins, prostitutes, students, etc. are lingering.]

BEGGARS:
Look down and see
The beggars at your feet
Look down and show
Some mercy if you can
Look down and see
The sweepings of the street
Look down, look down
Upon your fellow man!

[Gavroche comes forward.]

GAVROCHE:
How do you do? My name's Gavroche
These are my people, here's my patch
Not much to look at, nothing posh
Nothing that you'd call up to scratch
This is my school, my high society
Here in the slums of Saint Michele
We live on crumbs of humble piety
Tough on the teeth, but what the hell!
Think you're poor?
Think you're free?
Follow me, follow me!

BEGGARS:
Look down, and show
Some mercy if you can
Look down, look down
Upon your fellow man

[An old beggar woman finds a young prostitute occupying her patch.]

OLD BEGGAR WOMAN:
What you think yer at?
Hanging round me pitch?
If you're new around here, girl, you've got a lot to learn.

YOUNG PROSTITUTE:
Listen you old bat
Crazy bloody witch
'Least I give my customers some pleasure in return

OLD BEGGAR WOMAN:
I know what you give!
Give 'em all the pox!
Spread around your poison till they end up in a box

PIMP:
Leave the poor old cow,
Move it, Madeleine
She used to be no better till the clap got to her brain

BEGGARS:
When's it gonna end?
When we gonna live?
Something's got to happen now or
Something's gonna give...
It'll come, it'll come, it'll come,
It'll come, it'll come, it'll come?

[Marius and Enjolras come.]

ENJOLRAS:
Where the leaders of the land?
Where are the swells, who run this show?

MARIUS:
Only one man - and that's Lamarque
Speaks for these people here below

BEGGARS:
See our children fed
Help us in our shame

URCHIN 1:
Something for a crust of bread
In Holy Jesus' name

URCHIN 2:
In the Lord's Holy name?

BEGGARS:
?In his name, in his name, in his name...

MARIUS:
Lamarque is ill and fading fast!
Won't last the week out so they say!

ENJOLRAS:
With all the anger in the land
How long before the judgement day?
Before we cut the fat ones down to size?
Before the barricades arise?

BEGGARS:
Look down and show
Some mercy if you can
Look down, look down,
Upon your fellow man!

[Thénardier comes. Eponine has become a quite beautiful woman, small and strong. Her parents haven't changed. Thénardier's gang, Brujon, Babet, Montparnasse and Claquesous, come as well.]

GAVROCHE:
Watch out for old Thénardier
All of his family is on the make
Once ran a hash-house down the way
Bit of a swine and no mistake
He's got a gang
The bleeding layabout
Even his daughter does her share
That's Éponine, she knows her way about
Only a kid, but hard to scare
Do we care?
Not a cuss!
Long live us, long live us!

BEGGARS:
Look down and show
Some mercy if you can
Look down, look down,
Upon your fellow man!

**THE ASSAULT**

THÉNARDIER:
Everyone here, you know your place
Brujon, Babet, Claquesous
You, Montparnasse, watch for the law
With Éponine, take care.
You turn on the tears
No mistakes, my dears

MME THÉNARDIER:
These bloody students on our street
Here they come slumming once again
Our Éponine would kiss their feet
She never had a scrap of brain

[Marius notices Éponine and goes to her. Éponine is obviously in love with Marius.]

MARIUS:
Éponine, what's up today?
I haven't seen you much about.

ÉPONINE:
Here, you can always catch me in.

MARIUS:
Mind the police don't catch you out!

ÉPONINE:
Here, watcher (What you are) doing with all them books?
I could have been a student too!
Don't judge a girl on how she looks...
I know a lot of things I do!

MARIUS:
Poor Éponine, the things you know
You wouldn't find in books like these.

ÉPONINE:
I like the way you grow your hair

MARIUS:
I like the way you always tease

ÉPONINE:
Little he knows!
Little he sees!

MME THÉNARDIER:
Here's the old boy.
Stay on the job and watch out for the law.

[Two people arrive. It's Valjean and Cosette, who has grown up in the past nine years. Valjean gives out alms.]

ÉPONINE:
[To Marius] Stay out of this.

MARIUS:
But Éponine...

ÉPONINE:
You'll be in trouble here
It's not your concern
You'll be in the clear

MARIUS:
Who is that man?

ÉPONINE:
Leave me alone!

MARIUS:
Why is he here? Hey, Éponine!

[He begins to follow her, and bumps into Cosette.]

I didn't see you there, forgive me.

[He helps her up. They look intensely at one another. Thénardier speaks to Valjean.]

THÉNARDIER:
Please M'sieur, come this way
Here's a child that ain't eaten today.
Save a life, spare a sou
God rewards all the good that you do.

[Valjean has given alms to Thénardier, when this one really looks at him.]

Wait a bit. Know that face.
Ain't the world a remarkable place?
Men like me don't forget
You're the bastard that borrowed Cosette!

[Thénardier gives a sign to his gang, they plunge on Valjean. After a short fight, they rip open his shirt and jump back. There's the number 24601 on Valjean's chest.]

VALJEAN:
What is this? Are you mad?
No, Monsieur, you don't know what you do!

THÉNARDIER:
You know me, you know me.
I'm a con, just like you.

[Valjean struggles free and tries to close his shirt.]

ÉPONINE:
It's the police! Disappear!
Run for it! It's Javert!

[Valjean grabs Cosette, who didn't realise, what was going on, and they run for it. Javert comes. The poor hide in fright.]

JAVERT
Another brawl in the square
Another stink in the air!
Was there a witness to this?
Well, let him speak to Javert!
M'sieur, the streets are not safe,
But let these vermin beware
We'll see that justice is done!

Look upon this fine collection
Crawled from underneath a stone
This swarm of worms and maggots
Could have picked you to the bone!

I know this man over here
I know his name and his trade
And on your witness, M'sieur,
We'll see him suitably paid.

But where's the gentleman gone?
And why on earth did he run?

THÉNARDIER:
You will have a job to catch him
He's the one you should arrest
No more bourgeois when you scratch him
Than that brand upon his chest!

JAVERT:
Could it be he's some old jailbird,
That the tide now washes in?
Heard my name and started running
Had the brand upon his skin?
?And the girl who stood beside him?
When I turned they both had gone!
Could he be the man I've hunted?
Could it be he's Jean Valjean?

THÉNARDIER:
In the absence of a victim,
Dear Inspector, may I go?
And remember when you've nicked him,
It was me that told you so!

JAVERT:
Let the old man keep on running
I will run him off his feet!

Everyone about your business
Clear this garbage off the street!

[Everyone leaves. Javert stays alone.]

**STARS**

JAVERT:
There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from grace
Fallen from grace
God by my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face.

He knows his way in the dark
Mine is the way of the Lord
Those who do follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall
As Lucifer fell
The flame!
The sword!

Stars in your multitudes
Scarce to be counted
Filling the darkness
With order and light.
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night!
Keeping watch in the night!

You know your place in the sky
You hold your course and your aim
And each in your season returns and returns
And is always the same.
And if you fall
As Lucifer fell
You fall
In flame!

And so it has been and so it's written
On the doorways to paradise
That those who falter and those who fall
Must pay the price!

Lord let me find him
That I may see him
Safe behind bars
I will never rest
Till then; this I swear
This I swear
By the stars!

[Javert goes, Gavroche comes forward.]

GAVROCHE:
That inspector thinks he's something
But it's me who runs this town!
And my theatre never closes
And the curtain's never down
Trust Gavroche. Have no fear
Don't you worry, Auntie dear
You can always find me here!

[Éponine comes as Gavroche leaves.]

ÉPONINE:
Cosette! Now I remember
Cosette! How can it be?
We were children together
Look what's become of me...

[Marius returns.]

Good God! Ooh, what a rumpus!

MARIUS:
That girl! Who can she be?

ÉPONINE:
That cop! He'd like to jump us
But he ain't smart, not he.

MARIUS:
Éponine, who was that girl?

ÉPONINE:
That bourgeois two-a-penny thing!

MARIUS:
Éponine, find her for me!

ÉPONINE:
What will you give me?

MARIUS:
Anything!

ÉPONINE:
Got you all excited now
But god knows what you see in her
Ain't you all delighted now?

[She's refusing Marius? Coin.]

No, I don't want your money, sir...

MARIUS:
Eponine! Do this for me...
Discover where she lives
Be careful how you go
Don't let her farther know
'Ponine! I'm lost until she's found!

EPONINE:
Y'see! I told you so!
There's lots of things I know

[Marius leaves.]

'Ponine... she knows her way around!

[She leaves.]

**THE ABC-CAFÉ / RED AND BLACK**

[The ABC Cafe, where the students, led by Enjolras, meet to discuss their revolutionary plans, is on the stage.]

COMBEFERRE:
At Notre Dame the sections are prepared!

FEUILLY:
At rue de Bac they're straining at the leash!

COURFEYRAC:
Students, workers, everyone
There's a river on the run
Like the flowing of the tide
Paris coming to our side!

ENJOLRAS:
The time is near...So near?it's stirring the blood in their veins!
And yet beware...Don't let the wine go to your brains!

For the army we fight is a dangerous foe
With the men and the arms that we never can match
Oh, it's easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies
But the National Guard will be harder to catch.
We need a sign to rally the people
To call them to arms to bring them in line!

[Marius enters.]

Marius, you're late.

JOLY:
What's wrong today?
You look as if you've seen a ghost.

GRANTAIRE:
Some wine and say what's going on!

MARIUS:
A ghost you say... a ghost maybe
She was just like a ghost to me
One minute there, and she was gone!

GRANTAIRE:
I am agog! I am aghast!
Is Marius in love at last?
I have never heard him 'ooh' and 'ah'
You talk of battles to be won
But here he comes like Don Juan
It's better than an opera!

[Laughter]

ENJOLRAS:
It is time for us all to decide who we are...
Do we fight for the right to a night at the opera now?
Have you asked of yourselves, what's the price you might pay?
Is it simply a game for rich young boys to play?
The colour of the world is changing day by day...
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!

MARIUS:
Had you been there tonight
You might know how it feels
To be struck to the bone in a moment of breathless delight!
Had you been there tonight
You might also have known
How the world may be changed in just one burst of light!
And what was right seems wrong and what was wrong seems right...

GRANTAIRE [mocking...]:
Red...

MARIUS:
I feel my soul on fire!

GRANTAIRE:
Black...

MARIUS:
My world if she's not there...

ALL:
Red...

MARIUS:
The colour of desire!

ALL:
Black...

MARIUS:
The colour of despair!

ENJOLRAS:
Marius, you're no longer a child
I do not doubt you mean it well
But now there is a higher call
Who cares about your lonely soul?
We strive toward a larger goal
Our little lives don't count at all!

ALL:
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!

ENJOLRAS:
Well, Courfeyrac, do we have all the guns?
Feuilly, Combeferre, our time is running short.
Grantaire put the bottle down! Do we have the guns we need?

GRANTAIRE [drunk]:
Give me brandy on my breath
And I'll breathe 'em all to death!

[Gavroche comes]

COURFEYRAC:
In St. Antoine they're with us to a man!

COMBEFERRE:
In Notre Dame they're tearing up the stones!

FEUILLY:
Twenty rifles good as new.

GAVROCHE:
Listen!

JOLY:
Twenty shots for every man!

GAVROCHE:
Listen to me!

JEAN PROUVAIRE:
Double that in Port St. Cloud!

GAVROCHE:
Listen, everybody!

LESGLES:
Seven guns in St. Martin!

GAVROCHE:
General Lamarque is dead!

ENJOLRAS:
Lamarque is dead. Lamarque!
His death is the hour of fate.
The people's man!
His death is the sign we await!
On his funeral day they will honour his name.
It's a rallying cry that will reach every ear!
In the death of Lamarque we will kindle the flame
They will see that the day of salvation is near!
The time is heard!
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer
Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts
But a jubilant shout! They will come one and all,
They will come when we call!

**DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING**

ENJOLRAS:
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

COMBEFERRE:
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?

COURFEYRAC:
Then join the fight that will give you the right to be free...

CHORUS:
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

FEUILLY:
Will you give all you can give,
So that our banner may advance?
Some will fail and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France!

CHORUS:
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

[The ABC-Café vanishes. The gate of Rue Plumet comes in sight. Inside the garden, Cosette is sitting on a small bench.]

**IN MY LIFE**

COSETTE:
How strange,
This feeling that my life's begun at last
This change,
Can people really fall in love so fast?
What's the matter with you, Cosette?
Have you been too much on your own?
So many things unclear
So many things unknown.

In my life
There are so many questions and answers
That somehow seem wrong
In my life
There are times when I catch in the silence
The sigh of a faraway song
And it sings
Of a world that I long to see
Out of reach
Just a whisper away
Waiting for me!

Does he know I'm alive? Do I know if he's real?
Does he see what I saw? Does he feel what I feel?

In my life
I'm no longer alone.
Now the love in my life is so near.
Find me now, find me here!

[Valjean enters through the gate, quickly closing it again.]

VALJEAN:
Dear Cosette,
You're such a lonely child
How pensive, how sad you seem to me
Believe me,
Were it within my power
I'd fill each passing hour
How quiet it must be, I can see
With only me for company.

COSETTE:
There's so little I know, that I'm longing to know
Of the child that I was in a time long ago
There's so little you say of the life you have known:
Why you keep to yourself, why we're always alone
So dark, so dark and deep;
The secrets that you keep!

In my life
I have all that I want
You are loving and gentle and good.
But Papa, dear Papa,
In your eyes I am just like a child
Who is lost in a wood.

VALJEAN:
No more words
No more words, it's a time that is dead
There are words,
That are better unheard, better unsaid.

COSETTE:
In my life
I'm no longer a child and I yearn
For the truth that you know
Of the years... years ago!

VALJEAN:
You will learn
Truth is given by God to us all, in our time
In our turn

[Valjean leaves the garden; Marius and Éponine are outside.]

MARIUS:
In my life
She has burst like the music of angels
The light of the sun
And my life seems to stop
As if something is over
And something has scarcely begun.

Éponine,
You're the friend who has brought me here
Thanks to you
I am one with the Gods
And Heaven is near!

And I soar through a world that is new that is free...

ÉPONINE [to herself]:
Every word that he says is a dagger in me!

In my life
There's been no one like him anywhere
Anywhere, where he is?

If he asked... I'd be his

MARIUS & ÉPONINE:
In my life
There is someone
Who touches my life

MARIUS:
Waiting near

ÉPONINE:
Waiting here

**A HEART FULL OF LOVE**

[Marius goes in to Cosette, leaving Eponine alone outside.]

MARIUS:
A heart full of love
A heart full of song
I'm doing everything all wrong
Oh God, for shame
I do not even know your name
Dear Mademoiselle
Won't you say?
Will you tell?

COSETTE:
A heart full of love
No fear, no regret.

MARIUS:
My name is Marius Pontmercy.

COSETTE:
And mine's Cosette.

MARIUS:
Cosette, I don't know what to say.

COSETTE:
Then make no sound.

MARIUS:
I am lost.

COSETTE:
I am found!

MARIUS:
A heart full of light?

MARIUS & COSETTE:
?A night bright as day.

MARIUS:
And you must never go away! Cosette, Cosette!

COSETTE:
This is a chain we'll never break.

MARIUS:
Do we dream?

COSETTE:
We're awake!

MARIUS:
A heart full of love?

ÉPONINE:
He was never mine to lose

MARIUS & COSETTE:
?A heart full of you.

MARIUS:
A single look and then I know

ÉPONINE:
Why regret what could not be?

COSETTE:
I knew it too.

ÉPONINE:
These are words he'll never say.
Not to me!

MARIUS:
From today!

ÉPONINE:
Not to me!
Not to me!

COSETTE:
Every day!

ÉPONINE: MARIUS & COSETTE:
His heart full of love For it isn't a dream
He will never Not a dream
Feel this way. After all!

**THE ASSAULT ON RUE PLUMET**

[Marius and Cosette move away, as Montparnasse enters furtively, Thénardier and the rest of his gang follow.]

ÉPONINE:
'Parnasse, what are you doing
So far out of our patch?

MONTPARNASSE:
This house, we're going to do it
Rich man, plenty of scratch
You remember he's the one,
Who got away the other day?
Got a number on his chest
Perhaps a fortune put away!

ÉPONINE:
Oh Lord, somebody help me!
Dear God, what'll I do?
He'll think this is an ambush
He'll think I'm in it too!
What'll I do, what'll I say?
I've got to warn them here
I've got to find a way.

MONTPARNASSE:
This is his lair
I've seen the old fox around.

CLAQUESOUS:
He keeps himself to himself

BABET:
He's staying close to the ground

BRUJON:
I smell profit here!

THÉNARDIER:
Ten years ago
He came and paid for Cosette
I let her go for a song
It's time we settled the debt
This'll cost him dear

BRUJON:
What do I care, who you should rob?
Give me my share! Finish the job!

THÉNARDIER:
You shut your mouth
Give me your hand

[He notices Éponine but doesn't recognize her.]

BABET:
What have we here?

THÉNARDIER:
Who is this hussy?

MONTPARNASSE:
It's your brat Éponine
Don't you know your own kid?
Why's she hanging about you?

THÉNARDIER:
'Ponine, get on home
You're not needed in this
We're enough here without you

ÉPONINE:
I know this house
I tell you there's nothing here for you
Just the old man and the girl
They live ordinary lives

THÉNARDIER:
Don't interfere
You've got some gall
Take care, young miss,
You've got a lot to say!

BRUJON:
She's going soft

CLAQUESOUS:
Happens to all

MONTPARNASSE:
Go home, 'Ponine,
Go home, you're in the way

ÉPONINE:
I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna warn them here.

THÉNARDIER:
One little scream and you'll regret it for a year.

CLAQUESOUS:
What a palaver
What an absolute treat
To watch a cat and it's father
Pick a bone in the street

BRUJON:
Not a sound out of you!