Meanwhile Javert was frustrated that he had missed his chance to recapture Jean Valjean. Like everyone else, Javert had believed that Valjean had died falling from the ship. But when he read about the kidnapping of a girl named Cosette, Javert remembered that name. The newspaper also mentioned that her mother was Fantine. Javert decided to visit the Thenardiers.
Monsieur Thenardier was not cooperative. At first he had been outraged when Valjean removed Cosette. But then he realized there could be trouble if he informed the police. They might want to know where he had gotten fifteen hundred francs, or they might question some of his business dealings. So when Javert came nosing around, Thenardier told him that Cosette had left with her grandfather.
Javert was satisfied until he began hearing tales of "the generous beggar" whose description seemed to match Valjean’s. He borrowed the clothes of another beggar, and soon discovered that his suspicions were correct—"the generous beggar" was indeed Valjean! Javert chased Valjean, but lost his prey in the cul-de-sac. For a month after Valjean’s escape, Javert watched the neighborhood surrounding the old Gorbeau house, but he finally gave up.
Years passed while Valjean was happily settled at the convent with Cosette. New tenants came to live at the Gorbeau house. They were the Jondrette family and a young man named Marius Pontmercy. The Jondrettes were extremely poor, and all four of them—mother, father, and two nearly grown daughters—lived in the same room. There was also a son named Gavroche, but he lived in the streets. His mother adored her daughters but cared nothing about Gavroche. The Jondrettes had formerly lived in Montfermeil, where they managed an inn and went by the name Thenardier. As for Marius, he had a connection with the Jondrettes, but he didn’t recognize it yet.
And now in order to go forward with our story, we must go back into the past. Readers may remember that Monsieur Thenardier claimed to have been a soldier in Napoleon’s army and to have rescued a general. He even painted that scene on his inn’s sign. In truth, he had never been a soldier. After the Battle of Waterloo, all he did was loot the bodies of the dead! But one officer—a colonel, not a general—was still alive. As he went through the man’s pockets, Thenardier accidentally revived him. The officer, whose name was Pontmercy, tried to reward Thenardier with his wallet and watch, but could not find them. Of course, he did not realize that Thenardier had taken the wallet and watch! Pontmercy vowed that he would someday find a way to repay Thenardier for saving his life.
After the defeat of Napoleon, the monarchy was restored in France. Colonel Pontmercy went to live in the town of Vernon. As a supporter of Napoleon, Pontmercy was treated with constant suspicion. But this was not the worst of his problems. His wife died, leaving him with a young son named Marius. And the colonel’s father-in-law, Monsieur Gillenormand, insisted on taking the boy.
"If you ever attempt to see Marius, I’ll disinherit him," threatened Gillenormand.
Since there was a lot of money at stake, Pontmercy did as he was told. But he missed his son terribly.
Gillenormand lived with his unmarried daughter in Paris. Every few months Pontmercy traveled to Paris and went to the Church of Saint Sulpice. There he sat behind a pillar where he could secretly observe Marius during the service.
Twice a year Aunt Gillenormand dictated letters to Marius. The boy dutifully wrote them down and sent them to his father. Pontmercy responded with long, tender letters, but Monsieur Gillenormand never showed them to his grandson.
So Marius grew up with little love for his father. To complicate matters, he and his father were on opposite sides politically. Marius had been raised with the same beliefs as his grandfather, who was a supporter of the monarchy. His father remained a supporter of the fallen emperor.
By the time Cosette and Valjean were at the convent, Marius had become a young man. One day his grandfather said, "Marius, tomorrow you will go to Vernon to see your father. He is ill and asking for you."
Marius was so shocked, he didn’t question his grandfather. The next night he arrived at Vernon only to find that his father had just died. Marius remained in Vernon for two days, pretending to mourn the father he hadn’t known. The sale of Colonel Pontmercy’s furniture barely paid for his funeral. He hadn’t left a will, only a scrap of paper, which a servant handed to Marius.
"For my son: Emperor Napoleon made me a baron at the Battle of Waterloo. I hand that title down to you, knowing that you will bear it proudly."
On the back the colonel had added: "At this same battle, a man saved my life. His name is Thenardier, and he’s an innkeeper at Montfermeil. If you ever meet him, please do whatever you can for him."
Marius took the paper and folded it in his pocket. He went back to Paris, where he was studying law, and thought no more of his father.
The young man had kept up the religious habits of his childhood, often attending church at Saint Sulpice. One Sunday he was kneeling in prayer when an old man interrupted him.
"Monsieur, you’re sitting in my pew," said the old man.
Marius moved away and the old man sat down. After mass the old man approached him.
"You probably think me rude for asking you to move," said the old man, introducing himself as Monsieur Mabeuf. "I must explain and beg your pardon."
"That’s entirely unnecessary, monsieur," replied Marius.
But Mabeuf insisted and went on with his story. "I always feel that mass is better from that seat. For many years I watched a father sit in that pew and silently observe his son. The unfortunate man had no other way to see his child. He always hid behind the pillar, so the boy wouldn’t see him. I could tell that the man worshipped his son, but the boy probably didn’t even know he existed."
Marius was puzzled. "Why wouldn’t the boy know his father?"
"The father had a rich relative who threatened to disinherit the boy if the father tried to see him. The father had served under Napoleon; he and his father-in-law were on opposite sides politically. The father lived in Vernon and his name was something like Pontmarie or Montpercy."
"Pontmercy," said Marius, turning pale.
"Exactly! Did you know him?"
"Monsieur, he was my father."
The old man clasped Marius’ hands. "So you were the child! I’m sorry that you never knew him, but you can say that you had a father who loved you well."
From that moment on, Marius learned all he could about his father. He came to respect the man and to share his political views. Marius had calling cards printed up with his title, Baron Marius Pontmercy, and wore his father’s "will" in a locket.
One day Marius left home in a hurry, leaving behind the cards and locket. His grandfather found them.