The reader has， no doubt， understood， without necessitating a lengthy explanation， that Jean Valjean， after the Champmathieu affair， had been able， thanks to his first escape of a few days' duration， to come to Paris and to withdraw in season， from the hands of Laffitte， the sum earned by him， under the name of Monsieur Madeleine， at Montreuil-sur-Mer; and that fearing that he might be recaptured，-- which eventually happened--he had buried and hidden that sum in the forest of Montfermeil， in the locality known as the Blaru-bottom. The sum， six hundred and thirty thousand francs， all in bank-bills， was not very bulky， and was contained in a box; only， in order to preserve the box from dampness， he had placed it in a coffer filled with chestnut shavings. In the same coffer he had placed his other treasures， the Bishop's candlesticks. It will be remembered that he had carried off the candlesticks when he made his escape from Montreuil-sur-Mer. The man seen one evening for the first time by Boulatruelle， was Jean Valjean. Later on， every time that Jean Valjean needed money， he went to get it in the Blaru-bottom. Hence the absences which we have mentioned. He had a pickaxe somewhere in the heather， in a hiding-place known to himself alone. When he beheld Marius convalescent， feeling that the hour was at hand， when that money might prove of service， he had gone to get it; it was he again， whom Boulatruelle had seen in the woods， but on this occasion， in the morning instead of in the evening. Boulatreulle inherited his pickaxe.

The actual sum was five hundred and eighty-four thousand， five hundred francs. Jean Valjean withdrew the five hundred francs for himself.--"We shall see hereafter，" he thought.

The difference between that sum and the six hundred and thirty thousand francs withdrawn from Laffitte represented his expenditure in ten years， from 1823 to 1833. The five years of his stay in the convent had cost only five thousand francs.

Jean Valjean set the two candlesticks on the chimney-piece， where they glittered to the great admiration of Toussaint.

Moreover， Jean Valjean knew that he was delivered from Javert. The story had been told in his presence， and he had verified the fact in the Moniteur， how a police inspector named Javert had been found drowned under a boat belonging to some laundresses， between the Pont au Change and the Pont-Neuf， and that a writing left by this man， otherwise irreproachable and highly esteemed by his superiors， pointed to a fit of mental aberration and a suicide.--"In fact，" thought Jean Valjean， "since he left me at liberty， once having got me in his power， he must have been already mad."

不需要再详细解释，大家已经知道冉阿让在商马第案件之后，幸亏他第一次越狱数日，及时来到巴黎，从拉菲特银行中取出了他在滨海蒙特勒伊用马德兰先生的名字挣得的存款；为了怕再被捕，他把现款深深埋在孟费郿的布拉于矿地里，果然不久，他又被捕。幸亏六十三万法郎的纸币体积不大，放在一个盒里，但为了防备盒子受潮，他把纸盒子放入一个橡木小箱中，里面装满了栗树木屑。在小箱中，他又把他的另一宝物，主教的烛台也放了进去。我们还记得，当他从滨海蒙特勒伊逃跑时，他是带着这一对烛台的。蒲辣秃柳儿有一天傍晚第一次见到的那个人，就是冉阿让。事后每当冉阿让需要钱时，他就到矿地去取。我们提到过的他的几次旅行就是如此。他有一把十字镐藏在灌木丛中一个只有他知道的隐蔽处。当他看见马吕斯已初步恢复健康，他感到需要用款的时候已不远了，就去把钱取了出来；蒲辣秃柳儿在树林中看见的仍是他，这次是在清晨而不在傍晚。蒲辣秃柳儿继承了那把十字镐。

总数是五十八万四千五百法郎。冉阿让留五百法郎自己使用。“以后再看情况吧。”他思忖着。

从拉菲特银行取出的六十三万法郎和目前这笔钱之间的差数就是从一八二三年到一八三三年十年间的开支，在修女院五年只花了五千法郎。

冉阿让把一对闪烁发光的银烛台放在壁炉架上，杜桑看了十分羡慕。

此外，冉阿让知道自己已摆脱了沙威。有人在他面前讲过同时他也见到《通报》上的公告，证实了这件事，警务侦察员沙威淹死在交易所桥和新桥之间的一条洗衣妇的船下面，这个没有犯过错误并且深受长官器重的人，留下了一纸遗书，使人推测到他是因神经错乱而自杀的。“总之，”冉阿让暗想，“他既已抓住了我，又让我自由，毫无疑问，他已经神经失常了。”