How to use "was" in a sentence

One of them, Butch Cassidy, was very famous

Before starting this trip, I forgot to leave a message telling anyone exactly where I was going

Leona asked where I was going

I told her I was going to Utah and promised to be back for her party

It was carried along the canyon after heavy rain

That was a clear message to stay away! But you were in such a hurry to finish the hike you didn't stop and check.

They weren't completely sure I was going to the party

But I didn't tell anyone exactly where I was going, so it will take the police days to find me

But there was no sign of Aron or his bike

Again, she was wrong

By the time they reached Goblin Valley, the car park was full and there was nowhere to stay for the night.

The next morning, there was no sign of Aron at Little Wild Horse Canyon

All they found was a truck from Colorado with a bike inside and skis on the roof.

This first night was not as bad as I thought

I'd imagined it was people.

Everything about this stupid adventure was a mistake

I didn't tell anyone where I was going, I didn't go with Kristi and Megan to the west canyon, and I didn't get off the boulder when it moved.

The other urine was clearer

Elliot, another friend of his, was moving into the house after Leona had gone

The party ended at around two o'clock the next morning, but there was still no sign of Aron.

The first person to think something might be wrong was Aron's boss, Brion

'Did he say where he was going?'

Only that he was going climbing and biking

But there was something the officer didn't tell them: a person has to be missing for at least forty-eight hours before the police will start a search and rescue operation

7.30 am That last video recording was the most pessimistic so far

I was beginning to think it wouldn't come

On Wednesday morning, Brion After was at work in the shop

Did he tell any of his housemates where he was going?'

Mrs Ralston's hand was shaking as she put down the phone

Perhaps Aron had sent an email to one of his friends saying where he was going?

Aron had an email address - but what was it? She found his name, but had to answer a secret question to read his emails

When she read it to Officer Crider, she didn't realise it was wrong

Officer Crider called back and told Mrs Ralston there was no record of that license plate

Brion After was having better luck

Perhaps they knew where he was

It was on his desk

Officer Ekker was very helpful

There was no sign of the truck

There was no vehicle on record

Once again, the number was wrong.

Then she remembered that Aron was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he bought the truck

The vehicle license office for the area was in Santa Fe

The information was given to Officer Ekker

It was too late to continue searching that night

It came to me, as I was looking at all the rocks around me

The problem with using the black rock was that it hurt my left hand

On Thursday, May the 1st, Kyle Ekker was looking at a map of the Canyonlands area on his office wall

I was trapped by a boulder in the canyon for five days

My rescue was only the first part of a long, difficult fight back to health

I was also taking eighteen different medicines a day

While I was taking them, I couldn't do anything well

A week later, I was back in hospital in Denver for my fifth and most difficult operation

The time I woke up after the operation was the lowest point after my escape

I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I was still in pain

However by May the 25th, I was home to stay.

I was like a child again, unable to do anything for myself

I was soon eating normal food and by the end of the summer, I was the same weight as before the accident.

I was wrong

It was 1867

"It was 300 feet long!"

It was like a big, underwater explosion!"

The largest whale was only 180 feet long and if these men were right, this was even larger

I was famous because I was the writer of a book called The Mysteries of the Great Ocean Depths

The idea was very exciting

Ned Land, the famous whale killer, was also on the ship

Farragut, the captain of the ship, was a strong and brave man

The men wanted to find and kill the sea monster, but after all this time everyone on the ship started to believe that there was no monster

It was night-time and we were 200 miles on the coast of Japan when suddenly Ned Land, the harpooner, cried out.

The creature looked as if it was asleep

We could see it because there was a strange light under the water

It was very cold and I tried hard to get to the top and breathe

When my head was finally above the waves, I saw that the Abraham Lincoln was more than one hundred feet away.

I was terrified

I thought it was a shark, or even the monster!

"Sir, are you all right, sir?" Thank God, it was my faithful assistant Conseil.

"When I saw you fall into the water, sir, I felt it was my duty to follow you."

It was true

It was dark and we knew that we had to stay in the water for the night

The moon came out from behind the clouds and we saw that Abraham Lincoln was too far away

I thought it was a rock, but then I realised it was metal

It was Ned Land's voice, but we couldn't see him

"I sure did and it was a good thing I landed on this

He was right

What all of us thought was a large whale was a three-hundred foot long underwater ship

Ned sat on a platform which was on top of the ship

The room was empty

One was tall with dark serious eyes

The other was short

The tall man was calm and he spoke perfect English

Ned Land was not happy at all

I can only say that I was very interested in this strange man

Captain Nemo took me down to the bottom of the Nautilus, where there was a room like a large museum

But Ned Land was not happy on the Nautilus

He was a whale hunter and his life was above the water, hunting whales.

There was a loud crash, and we all fell to the floor

The top of the Nautilus was just above the surface of the water

The ship was between two large rocks, unable to move

There was a small boat on the Nautilus which we used to get to land

The beach of Papua was beautiful

Conseil was at first frightened.

"I think I was hit by a rock."

He was playing the piano.

The Nautilus was finally free of the rocks near Papua

Life on the ship was normal again.

But now that we were in the Indian Ocean, there was nowhere to escape to.

One afternoon, while the Nautilus was on the surface of the water, I went upstairs to have a look outside

I had a small telescope with me, so I put it up to my eye to see what he was looking at

There was nothing more to say

Captain Nemo was upset about something, and he had the power to tell us what to do

Captain Nemo took me to a room where there was a man lying on a bed

There was blood on the bandages, and the man looked very sick

He was cold and white

It was a bright sunny day

I did not want to say anything about the sick man, but I was curious

It was like a colourful picture show

When we returned to the Nautilus, I told Captain Nemo that his man was safe where he was.

The ship was quiet.

We were prisoners, but it was exciting to see all of the mysteries under the sea.

Ned Land had his harpoon with him, but he was very busy trying to collect as many oysters as he could.

It was the only one of its kind in the world

He wanted the pearl to grow, alone there in the cave, until it was truly the most fantastic pearl in the world.

The boy saw it, but it was too late.

Captain Nemo fought with the shark, and there was blood in the water

The Captain was safe and I was so surprised that I couldn't move.

Ned Land's only thought was to escape

It was dark outside

Then, water surrounded the ship and there was no more land.

There was no fire, but the hot lava still produced light.

So it was true, I thought

Imagine what we saw - penguins, whales, polar bears, dolphins, icebergs! It was like a dream and we saw it from the inside of the Nautilus.

"How long was it?"

I looked out of the window, and there was a 25-foot giant squid! It moved close to the Nautilus and it hit the window with its long tentacles

The Nautilus was too strong for it, but it was a very frightening creature!

They did not know what it was

I was surprised he spoke English

I thought he was going to kill the Captain.

The squid was about to pull him into the sea

He turned to help his own man, but it was too late

When we cleaned our faces and our eyes, the squid was gone, taking the man with it.

The Nautilus was quiet again

The only sound we could hear was the ship's engine

I thought there was something more to this

Who was this woman? Was it his wife? My leg hit a table and Captain Nemo turned around.

It was one of the Captain's men

There was a ship travelling very fast towards us.

There was a loud explosion and then, silence.

Captain Nemo was not the man I thought he was

After the terrible battle with the enemy ship, everything on the Nautilus was quiet

We all felt the same, now, the adventure of the Nautilus was not exciting or interesting

It was ugly and deadly

The only thing we wanted was to escape.

This was my home for nine months

The Nautilus was in a whirlpool

It was a strange and wonderful adventure; one I will never forget.

Suddenly, Alice was at the bottom of the hole

Now she was in a very long room

But it was no good

The key was too small.

She tried to walk through it, but she was too big

There was a little bottle on it.

'That bottle was not on the table before,' thought Alice.

She had some and it was very nice

'I'm getting smaller and smaller!' After a short time, she was only 25 centimetres high.

The key was on the table

But Alice was too short and she couldn't get the key

She tried to climb the table legs, but it was too difficult

There was a cake inside

In a short time, Alice was more than three meters high.

But she was too big and couldn't go through it.

Because she was very big, her tears were very big too.

But she couldn't stop the big tears and after a time there was water everywhere.

She looked down and there was the White Rabbit again

I was Alice yesterday, but everything is different today

But this time her tears were small tears - she was small again!

It was the right size for her head.

She was smaller than the table

The water was her tears.

Something was in the water - Alice could hear it

There, very near her, was a mouse.

Then they all came to the Dodo and stood round it.' Who was first? Who was first?' they shouted.

Then he said, 'Everybody was first

There was one chocolate for each bird and animal.

It was too late

It was not the Mouse

It was the White Rabbit

Everything was different now

She wasn't in the long room anymore, and there was no table or water

She was outside again, in the country.

There, on a table, was a hat and a little bottle

But after a very short time she was too big for the room

She didn't feel well and she was very unhappy.

'It was much nicer at home

It was the White Rabbit.

But he couldn't because Alice's back was next to it.

One of her arms was outside the window

There was a little cry.

Everything was quiet for a short time, then something hard hit her arm.

It was a little cake.

I can't get bigger!' So she ate the cake and two or three minutes later she was small again

She was tired because she was very small now.

That was the question

One white mushroom was as big as Alice

There, on top of the mushroom, was a large green caterpillar.

It was a difficult question

'I was Alice when I got up this morning

This was another difficult question and Alice could not answer it.

It was quiet for a time

The Caterpillar was quiet for some minutes

In a short time, she was her right size again.

It was about one meter high.

When she was 18 centimetres high, she walked to the house

There was a cook by the fire and there was food on the table

Near the fire, there was a large cat with a big smile

It was a strange little thing and not very pretty

It was very strange, but the baby was now a pig.

The Cheshire Cat was up in one of the trees

She looked up, and there was the Cheshire Cat in a tree - a different tree.

Then all of it vanished, and there was only its smile.

It was bigger than the Duchess's house.

In a short time she was about 60 centimetres high

There was a tree in front of the house

Under the tree was a big table with a lot of chairs round it

It was asleep, so they talked over its head.

Alice looked round the table but there was only tea.

'You see, I was right

'But it was the best butter,' answered the March Hare.

He took it out and looked at it again.' It was the best butter, you know,' he repeated.

'Time was my friend, you see

When she looked back, the Mouse was asleep with its head on its plate.

'That was a stupid tea party!'

She was back in the long room, near the little table! 'I'm small now

The key was on the table

When she was about 30 centimeters high, she walked through the door into the garden.

Near Alice was a small tree with flowers on it

The White Rabbit was there, but he didn't see Alice

Alice turned round and there was the White Rabbit next to her.

There was something above her head.

It was a smile! 'It's the Cheshire Cat,' she thought

She was very near Alice

There was the King and Queen, and a man with a very long knife in his hand.

But now there was nothing above Alices head - not an eye or an ear or a smile

Her arm was in Alice's, so Alice ran too.

Near the King was the White Rabbit

He stood between two men and his head was down

It was his trial

In the middle of the room was a table with a large plate of tarts on it.

But the Mouse didn't say anything, because he was asleep.

She was between the Duchess and the Mouse

It was the Duchess's cook.

'What was in those tarts?'

But she was tall now, and chairs, tables and people fell here, there and everywhere.

She was very large now and she wasn't afraid of anybody.

She was under it, next to her sister

Her sister's hand was on her hair.

I was born an idiot - but I'm cleverer than people think

When I was born, my Mom named me Forrest

My daddy died just after I was born

At first when I was growing up, I played with everybody

She was nice.

But when I was thirteen, I grew six inches in six months! And by the time I was sixteen, I was bigger and heavier than all the other boys in the school.

One day I was walking home, and a car stopped next to me

Mom was there, and they got all the things out of my desk and put them in a brown paper bag

The man in the car was a football coach called Fellers

One teacher, Miss Henderson, was really nice

And who do you think I saw in the school cafe? Jenny Curran! She was all grown-up now, with pretty black hair, long legs, and a beautiful face

But there was a boy in the cafe who started calling me names, and saying things like, 'How's Stupid?'

I saw that Coach Fellers was watching me

When they caught me, it needed eight of them to pull me down! Coach Fellers was really happy! He started jumping up and down and laughing

We had our first game, and I was frightened

Then something happened which was not so good.

She was the prettiest thing that I ever saw.

The cinema was not far from our house

The film was about a man and a woman, Bonnie and Clyde, and there was a lot of shooting and killing

Once I thought she was on the floor, and I put my hand on her shoulder to pull her up

She was crying, and I knew that I was in trouble again

And I was in trouble, but I was lucky

It was good news: if I played in their football team, there was a place for me in school there.

She was crying again

The building that I went to live in was nice on the outside but not on the inside

Most of the doors and windows were broken, and the floor was dirty

He wasn't very tall, but he was very strong

And that was all of our conversation for several days.

'It was difficult enough for me just to remember where our goal line was.'

I don't think he was very pleased

And Curtis was always angry, and I couldn't understand him

The first football game was on Saturday

Everybody was pleased with me

'I was so happy, I wanted to cry!'

I found a young man who was sitting in his room playing the harmonica.

His name was Bubba

After several minutes, Bubba was getting really excited and saying, 'Good, good, good!' Then he asked, 'Where did you learn to play like that?'

I was really happy, and I went and sat under a tree and played all day.

It was late afternoon when I began to walk back to my room

There were a lot of people there, and Jenny was wearing a long dress and singing

It was wonderful.

They played for about an hour, and I was lying back with my eyes closed, listening happily

But suddenly I found that I was playing my harmonica with them!

Then Jenny laughed and began to sing with my harmonica, and then everybody was saying 'Wonderful!' to me.

The only other important thing that happened to me at the university was the Big Game at the Orange Bowl in Miami that year

It was an important game which Coach Bryant wanted us to win.

I took it - and ran straight into a group of big men on the other team! Crash! It was like that all afternoon.

Everybody was surprised to see that I could catch the ball

Suddenly it was 28 to 14! And after I caught it four or five more times, it was 28 to 21

But that meant Gwinn was free to catch the ball, and he put us on the 15-yard line

Then Weasel, the kicker, got a field goal, and it was 28 to 24!

I wasn't clever enough at the lessons, and there was nothing that anybody could do about it

Coach Bryant was very sad.

I didn't know where she was.

It was late when the bus got to Mobile

Mom knew that I was coming, but she was crying when I got home.

Fort Benning was in Georgia

The place where I had to live was just a bit better than the rooms at the university, but the food was not

It was terrible.

Then, and in the months to come, I just had to do the things that I was told to do

One day, the cook was ill, and somebody said, 'Gump, you're going to be the cook today.'

He was right.

There was a big metal thing about six feet tall and five feet round, sitting in the corner.

Then the men came back and everybody was waiting for their dinner.

We were standing in it, when suddenly there was a strange noise.

It was some of our men on the far side of the hole, and there was blood all over them

But it was time for us to move up north to help some of our other men in the jungle.

We went in helicopters, and there was smoke coming up out of the jungle when we got there

It was terrible! People on fire, and nothing that we could do

It was almost night before we found our other soldiers in the jungle.

And who do you think one of them was? It was Bubba!

But his foot wasn't too bad for the army to get him - and here he was.

There was a little valley between two hills

We were on one hill and the enemy was on the other

Then we got orders to move the machine gun about fifty metres to the left of the big tree that was in the middle of the valley, and to find a safe place to put it before the enemy blew us all up.

When it was day again, our planes came, and they blew up the enemy soldiers

Suddenly, somebody started shooting at them! We couldn't see the enemy soldiers because the jungle was too thick, but somebody was shooting at our men.

The shooting was in front of us, which meant that the enemy soldiers were in between us and our men

And this meant that the enemy was able to come back and find us, so we had to get out fast.

There was no answer.

Two of them were dead, and Doyle was only just alive.

And suddenly I was in the middle of our soldiers, and everybody was pleased and hitting me on the back! My shouting and screaming frightened the enemy soldiers away

I got a letter from my Mom, and I wrote back to her that everything was OK

Then I heard that he was out in the rice field, and he was hurt, so I left my gun by the trees and ran back into the field

Halfway out, I saw another man who was hurt

He was holding a hand up to me - so I picked him up and ran back to the trees with him

There was blood all over him and he had two bullets in his stomach.

There was still a lot of shooting going on, but I played a song

The rest of the night was terrible

Bubba was dead, the shrimp business idea was dead with him

An hour later, I was out of there and on my way to the hospital in Danang.

I was at the hospital for two months

After the first few weeks my leg was getting better, and one day I went down into the little town, to the fish market

Two days later, I went back to the fish market and talked to a man who was selling shrimps.

When he took it out again, it was full of shrimps!

Every day for the next few weeks, I went with Mr Chi (that was his name) and watched him while he worked

He showed me how to catch shrimps with the net, and it was so easy that an idiot was able to do it!

I thought perhaps they were there to welcome us, but I was wrong

He was looking very worried until he saw me.

He was wrong.

When we got there, he bought me a beer, and he was telling me about the President and my medal when something happened

A pretty girl came up to our table, and the Colonel thought she was a waitress.

A lot of army people were there, and they immediately started shaking my hand and telling me that I was a brave man and that they were pleased to meet me.

The President was a great big old man who talked like somebody from Texas, and there were a lot of people standing round him in the flower garden.

Everybody but me, because I was hungry and wanted some breakfast

I was just thinking of getting out of there and having some breakfast when the President said, 'Boy, is that your stomach making that noise?' So I said, 'Yes,' and the President said, 'Well, come on, boy, let's go and get something to eat!' And I followed him into the house, and a waiter got us some breakfast.

Later, when we were back in the garden, the President said, 'You were hurt, weren't you, boy? Well, look at this...' And he pulled up his shirt and showed me the place on his stomach where he was hurt once

And there I was, on the front page, with my trousers down!

Soon after that, I heard that I was leaving the army early, and they gave me some money for a train ticket to go home.

But all this time, I was thinking about Jenny Curran

She was now playing in a group called The Broken Eggs, and they played two nights each week at a place called the Hodaddy Club near Harvard University

Now that I was free from the army, I just wanted to go and see her

It was in the afternoon, and the man behind the bar said, Jenny'll be here about nine o'clock.'

The music sounded like a plane that was taking off! But the students loved it.

She was different

Her hair was all the way down her back, and she was wearing sun-glasses - at night! She was wearing blue jeans and a shirt with lots of colours on it

I could hear the music that was playing inside and, after a minute or two, I began playing with it

Suddenly, a door behind me opened - and there was Jenny!

We talked together until it was time for her to sing again.

But the people that I was with were strange

But he was dangerous

He was against the war, like me, but he blew up buildings and things

Next, I met a teacher from Harvard University, but he was married

The boyfriend's name was Rudolph

He was a little man, and he was sitting on the floor with his eyes shut when we got to Jenny's flat.

Next morning, when I got up, Rudolph was still sitting on the floor with his eyes shut.

Then one day I came back to the flat and Jenny was sitting on the floor.

It was my happiest time of all

But one night I was sitting outside the Hodaddy Club, smoking a cigarette, when a girl smiled and came up to me

She was laughing and kissing me, and I didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, the door opened behind me, and there was Jenny.

There was a lot of trouble there

I went to find Jenny's address, but there was nobody at home

And there she was!

'She was there all night before we could get her out.'

Jenny was in the back of the car now, so I went over and talked to her through the window

I told her how I felt - I was sorry about the girl, and I didn't want to play in the group without her

I was sleeping on the floor of their house

But because my medal was a more famous medal than theirs, it was more important to Jenny and her friends.

As it happened, I didn't stay in prison long, because they soon realized that I was an idiot, and they put me in a special hospital for idiots

It was the doctors at the hospital who decided to send me to NASA - that's the space centre at Houston, in Texas.

I soon understood why! NASA sent me on a journey into space with a woman and an ape! Me, a spaceman! It was very strange.

Instead of coming down in the sea when we returned, the space ship came down in the jungle somewhere, and it was four years before the NASA people found us! But the ape and I were soon good friends

His name was Sue (yes, I know it's a girl's name, but they sent a male ape up by mistake, and NASA didn't like to tell the newspapers that)

And it was in the jungle that I met Big Sam - a man who taught me to play chess

And that was important, as you will see later.

Of course, the first thing that I wanted to do when I got back to America was find Jenny

I heard that she went to Chicago, but that was five years ago.'

The Temperer factory was outside the town

'But he was a good friend.'

None of them won because I was too strong, but plenty of people wanted to try their luck.

After about a month, I was winning nearly two hundred dollars a week, arm-wrestling

But there was worse to come

When I got back to the flat, Jenny was gone, and there was a letter waiting for me

And then, in Boston, I realized that I loved you, and I was the happiest girl in the world

But then there was that girl outside the Hodaddy Club

And for the first time ever, I knew that I was a real idiot.

I was going past a hotel when I looked in the window and saw some people who were playing chess

Like I said before, Big Sam taught me how to play chess when I was in the jungle

Well, I went into the hotel to watch them, but it was a special chess tournament and it cost five dollars to watch, so I didn't go into the chess room.

I was just walking out again when I saw a little old man who was playing chess with himself at a table near the door

It was time for me to get back to the bus station, but when I started to leave, the old man said, 'Why don't you sit down and finish this game with me?'

So I walked back to the hotel, and there was the little old man, still playing against himself

The old man's name was Mr Tribble

We were watching a man who was crashing through a window in a film fight, when a man walked over to us

But the other man was looking at me

Somehow, when I was helping Miss Welch to escape from the jungle, her dress came off and I had to run into the trees to hide her

But who do you think we met there? Sue, the ape! He was in another film!

I think Mr Tribble was secretly pleased.

I was pleased because I was back with Sue again.

Next day was the big chess tournament at the Beverly Hills Hotel

And suddenly I was in the final, playing with a Russian, Honest Ivan, the best player in the world

He was a big man, with long black hair, and he didn't want to lose!

It was a long game

Honest Ivan was good - very good

She was pleased to see me.

He listened, and he was very interested

It was the beginning of my shrimp business

And after a year, Mom was working for me, and Mr Tribble, and Curtis (my old football friend), and Bubba's daddy.

Everybody was very happy

But me? I was thinking of Jenny, of course

The business was doing well, but I asked myself, 'What are you doing all this for?' And I knew that I had to get away.

I played two songs - and a man walked past and threw some money into my empty coffee cup! I played two more songs, and soon the cup was half full of money!

Then, one afternoon when I was playing to some people in the park, I noticed that a little boy was watching me carefully

Then I looked up and saw a woman who was standing near him.

It was Jenny Curran.

Her hair was different, and she looked a bit older, and a bit tired, but it was her all right

She was smiling

'Oh, Forrest, I knew it was you when I heard that harmonica

I looked at the boy, who was still playing with Sue

'I knew that a baby was on the way when I left Indianapolis,' said Jenny, 'but I didn't want to say anything

I was worried that perhaps -'

'Perhaps I can put things right with Jenny,' I thought, 'now that I've found her again.' But the more I thought about it, the more I finally understood that it was better for the boy to be with Jenny and her husband, and not to have an idiot for a father.

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir

This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "Unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned

It is scarcely questioned that this provision was intended by those who made it for the reclaiming of what we call fugitive slaves; and the intention of the lawgiver is the law

It was formed, in fact, by the Articles of Association in 1774

It was matured and continued by the Declaration of Independence in 1776

It was further matured, and the faith of all the then thirteen States expressly plighted and engaged that it should be perpetual, by the Articles of Confederation in 1778

And, finally, in 1787 one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the Constitution was "TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION."

At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first

While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war

All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war

To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it

Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty

My office had one wall that was covered in glass

He seemed about forty years old and he was very well dressed

He was talking to one of the clerks

Suddenly the man noticed that I was looking at him

'Who was that man?' I asked him.

'That was Mr Julius Slinkton, sir,' the clerk told me

One of the other guests was Mr Julius Slinkton

He was standing near the fire

I did not know what he was talking about.

'I was referring to Mr Meltham-'

Now I understood what he was talking about.

'That was indeed a sad loss

He was the most brilliant man I have ever known in the insurance profession

I did not think he was really sad about Mr Meltham at all

Mr Meltham was unhappy in love.'

I still felt that Mr Slinkton was not sincere

There was something false about his expression of sadness.

He was a sensitive man who had suffered

I was angry with myself for disliking him

I decided that my first impression of Mr Slinkton was wrong.

It was there that one of them had died

I was deeply ashamed of my previous distrust of him.

Two days later I was sitting in my office as usual

Mr Slinkton was not my only visitor that day

The visit was a very private one.

It was early evening and he greeted me warmly.

Mr Slinkton was with a young lady

He introduced me to her, explaining that she was his niece

Her name was Miss Niner.

I was sorry to see that Miss Niner did not look very well at all

As she was speaking we saw the old man's hand-carriage come into sight

There was a frail old man inside

As the carriage was passing us, he waved his arm at me

I was away from Mr Slinkton and Miss Niner for about five minutes.

The memory of her sister was clearly still very painful to her

She was pale.

She said he was a very good, kind man

She told me that she knew she was going to die soon

She was worried about what would happen to her uncle when she died

I saw the hand-carriage coining back towards us along the sand as she was talking

Miss Niner was very shocked by my words

I knew that she was safe with that man.

He was surprised that his niece had gone

He told me that Miss Niner was very ill and he looked sad while he told me

I replied politely to everything he said, but I was holding a weapon in my pocket as we walked along together.

It was November before I saw Mr Slinkton again, this time in London

The name BECKWITH was painted on one door

The name SLINKTON was painted on the other.

The room was dirty and there were empty bottles everywhere

He was very surprised to see me.

Mr Slinkton was embarrassed at my presence in the room, I could see.

This was not a pleasant situation for him

'You will try to argue that I was responsible for Beckwith's condition - and for his eventual death

As he was doing this, another man came into the room - a man with grey hair who walked with a slight limp

That's why you also gave me small amounts of poison.' Mr Slinkton was surprised by Beckwith's behaviour

He was very pale, but he looked coldly at Beckwith

'You thought I was drinking brandy all day - but I threw most of it away

He spoke calmly, but his face was white.

Slinkton now looked in horror at the man who was accusing him

He was unable to speak for fear.

He was dead.

Meltham and I made sure that Slinkton was dead

On August 30th the weather was cool, the sky was black with smoke from domestic fires, and rain fell; rain and more rain

Alcohol was cheap and it helped people to feel better

Mary Ann Nichols was in 'Frying Pan' pub on the corner of Brick Lane, spending her last pennies on drink

But Mary Ann needed alcohol too, and she was drinking too much

Mary Ann Nichols was still walking the streets when her friend Ellen Holland saw her at 2.30 a.m

By that time Mary Ann - known as Polly - was very drunk

Buck's Row was a quiet, narrow road with warehouses on one side and some small houses or cottages on the other

At the end of the cottages was the entrance to Brown's stableyard, and then the long wall of a school

At nearly 3.40 in the morning it was dark.

At this hour Charles Cross, a carman, was walking to work

He saw that it was a woman

It was another carman, Robert Paul, also on his way to work

The men looked at the woman, but in the darkness they did not know if she was drunk or dead

When Constable Mizen arrived at the gates of the stableyard, another policeman, Constable John Neil, was already there

'I passed this place at 3.15,' Constable Neil said, 'but there was nothing here.'

Mrs Purkiss was awake most of the night, and Mr Purkiss slept badly and was awake between one and two o'clock, but they heard nothing

She was about 1.58m tall, and had dark brown hair

She was wearing a blue dress, black woolen stockings, men's boots, and a black straw bonnet

Polly was an 'Unfortunate': a polite Victorian word for a prostitute

She was probably an alcoholic

In December 1887 she was sleeping in Trafalgar Square

Her friend Ellen said she was a clean, quiet person

She was too good for that.'

When Dr Llewellyn examined the body, he thought the killer was right-handed

There was also no obvious motive, such as robbery

This was a new, unknown type of murder, which they could not understand

Polly Nichols was not the first 'Unfortunate' who was murdered that year, so Scotland Yard chiefs sent their most experienced officer to investigate

This was Inspector Abbeline, a fine detective who knew the East End and its people very well

But he did not know that this killer was different - clever, efficient, and savage

Now demolished, number 29 was an old building with three floors

A total of seventeen poor people lived in number 29, which was a crowded, busy place

At the end of the passage there was a door to the backyard

This was where Jack the Ripper murdered another woman in the early hours of September 8th.

It was about 4.45 a.m

Then he sat on some stone steps and took off one of his boots, which was hurting his toe

It was getting light and he could see that the lock on the cellar door was secure

There was nobody in the yard

He was returning to the house when he heard a voice in the next yard say 'No'

He thought it was somebody falling against the fence, but he did not look to see what it was

By six o'clock he was ready for work and went downstairs to the backyard

Inspector Joseph Chandler was on duty in Commercial Street at 6.10 a.m

Chandler arrived at number 29 and noted down that the woman was lying on her back, with a deep cut from left to right across her throat and mutilations to her stomach

The victim was 1.52m tall

Who was she?

Annie Chapman - or Dark Annie to her friends - was 47 years old

Once she had children, but one died and another was disabled

But the week before her murder she was not at the lodging house

on September 8th Annie was in the kitchen of her lodging house, eating potatoes and talking with the other lodgers

The other, Elizabeth Darrell, said that as she was walking down Hanbury Street at about 5.30 a.m

He had a dark complexion and was only a little taller than Annie

She had, the impression he was over forty and perhaps foreign.

We know that witnesses often make small errors in time, so the man Mrs Darrell saw was very probably the murderer, and he attacked Annie at approximately 5.30 a.m

It was a busy morning, with a lot of people already in the streets or getting up, and heavy traffic for the market

This time Jack the Ripper was in a dangerous situation

Berner Street, off Commercial Road, was quiet

Although the weather was wet and breezy, it was a mild night.

Number 40 was the premises of the International Workingmen's Educational Club.

There was a front door to the club in Berner Street, and a side door in Dutfield's Yard that opened into the club kitchen

The passage into the yard was about five metres long and extremely dark

He was 1.70m tall, about 28 years old, and wore a deerstalker hat and dark clothes.

At 12.45 Israel Schwartz was walking towards Dutfield's Yard when he saw a man stop and speak to a woman in the entrance

He was wearing a dark jacket and trousers, and a black cap with a peak

There he saw another man, who was lighting a pipe

Schwartz thought the man was following him, but a few moments later when he looked back, there was nobody behind him.

What was going on? Later, Inspector Abbeline had a good theory

He knew that Lipski was the name of a Jewish murderer, and in 1888 it was an insulting word used against Jews

Israel Schwartz was Jewish, so perhaps when the first man saw him, he shouted 'Lipski' to warn him aggressively to go away

Or perhaps he was warning the man with the pipe that Schwartz was coming

Was this man the murderer's accomplice? Or was he an innocent witness who ran away like Schwartz?

Louis Diemschutz was coming along Berner Street with his pony and cart

It was scared of something

Before the breeze blew out the match he made out a figure in a dress: it was a woman.

Her body was still warm

It was tied on the left side and was pulled very tight

Her stockings were white, her bonnet black, and she was wearing boots

There was one red rose on her jacket.

He said she lived with him and her name was Elizabeth Stride

Long Liz was born Elizabeth Gustafsdotter in 1843 near Gothenburg in Sweden

Nobody knows when the marriage broke down, but in 1877 Elizabeth was living in a workhouse

Her husband died in 1884, when Long Liz was lodging in Flower and Dean Street.

But the murder of Elizabeth Stride was not enough

She was completely drunk

She asked him the time and he said nearly one o'clock, which was about the time of Elizabeth Stride's murder.

The woman said her name was Mary Ann Kelly, but her real name was Catherine Eddowes.

She was wearing a red handkerchief around her neck, a black jacket, men's boots, and an old white apron

The place was badly-lit, but one man, Joseph Lawende, gave a description of them

He said the woman was short, and wore a black jacket and bonnet

The man was aged 30, 1.70m tall, medium build, with a fair complexion and moustache

The time was 1.35 a.m

It was the same dark, silent square of 14 minutes before, when he had walked around it

His beat took him there approximately every thirty minutes, so at 2.55 he was back in Goulston Street

Near the piece of material, in white chalk on the wall, was a message:

He was afraid about anti-Jewish demonstrations, so he ordered his men to rub out the message

At some time between 2.20 and 2.55 he was in Goulston Street

Perhaps it was already there and the murderer dropped the apron near it by chance

But we know that Jack the Ripper was an extraordinary killer - cool, daring, and efficient

Everything was quiet and deserted.

So in less than fifteen minutes the Ripper took Catherine into Mitre square, killed her, mutilated her horribly, and escaped - right under the noses of the police! His escape was amazing

But the discovery of the apron shows that the killer was out in the streets at some time between 2.20 and 2.55 36 to 71 minutes after Watkins discovered the body

So what was the murderer doing? To the police Jack the Ripper was a mystery

Catherine Eddowes was the Ripper's fourth victim

She was 42 and lived in a lodging house

People said she was 'jolly', always singing

Her partner was John Kelly

Mary Jane Kelly was twenty-five years old

Born in Limerick, Ireland, she moved to Wales with her family when she was very young

At sixteen she married a miner named Davies, who was killed in an explosion in the mines

By 1886 she was living in the East End with Joe Flemming, who wanted to marry her

At the time she was living at Cooley's lodging house in Thrawl Street

She was pleasant when sober but she could be noisy and very quarrelsome when drunk

He was a reliable, kind man who did not want Mary to go out on the streets

This was one of the reasons why they quarrelled that autumn.

Mary's friend, a laundress named Maria Harvey, was there and said that Mary and Barnett seemed to be friendly

Mary was so drunk that she could not answer properly

He was about thirty-six, 1.65m tall, stout, with a carrot-coloured moustache

When she came back at 1 a.m., there was a light in number 13 and Mary was still singing

Returning at 3 o'clock, she saw no light in Mary's room, and all was quiet

Around two hours later she woke up suddenly because her kitten was walking over her

She guessed the time was about 3.30-4.00

Mrs Lewis was going to stay with her friends at 2 Miller's Court

She slept badly in a chair until 3.30, when she heard the clock strike, and was awake until nearly five o'clock

Friday November 9th was the day when the citizens of London celebrated the Lord Mayor's Show

'I hope it will be a fine day tomorrow,' Mary had told Mrs Prater the morning before, 'as I want to go to the Lord Mayor's Show.' At 10.45 on Friday morning Mary's landlord, John McCarthy, was checking his accounts in his shop at 27 Dorset Street

The window nearest to the door was broken in two places

The first thing he saw was two pieces of flesh on the bedside table

The door was locked

Nobody knew that it was not necessary

The scene in the little room was from a nightmare

It was only 4-5 metres square and the door banged against the bedside table

There was not much furniture: an old table and two old chairs stood on the bare, dirty floor

On the bed lay a body that was almost unrecognisable

It was truly the work of a devil.

The man called Jack the Ripper was never caught, and his name will probably never be known

The first witness was Elizabeth Darrell, who very probably saw the Ripper with Annie Chapman outside 29 Hanbury Street

He wore a brown deerstalker hat and was short, about 1.63m

Mrs Darrell did not see his face, so her impression that he was a darklooking foreigner aged over forty is not certain.

If the woman was Catherine Eddowes, then the man was certainly Jack the Ripper: about thirty, of average height, with a small moustache and a cap with a peak.

Hutchinson said the man was aged about 34-35, just over 1.67m, with a pale face, dark eyes and hair and a small moustache

He was dressed like a gentleman in a long dark coat, dark hat, and boots with buttons

He was carrying a small parcel

He was not tall, stout, and was wearing a black hat

She thought he was looking up Miller's Court 'as if waiting for someone to come out'

But some students of the murders believe that Hutchinson's description is too precise and that he was lying for some reason.

Finally, we can exclude the man with the bottle of beer who was seen with Mary at 11.45 p.m

The time was too early

What is the most probable picture of the murderer? He was a short man, not more than 1.68m, between 28-35 years old, with a light brown moustache

He was probably stout and muscular.

A psychological profile of the killer was created in 1988

He usually killed at weekends, so he was employed, perhaps as a butcher

But he was not a doctor or a surgeon because he showed very little medical skill or knowledge

As he went out late at night he probably was not married

On December 31st 1888 his body was found in the Thames near Chiswick

He wrote that he was afraid of becoming like his mother and 'the best thing for me was to die.' His mother was in an asylum for lunatics

Also, Druitt was playing cricket in Dorset on September 1st, the day Polly Nichols was murdered.

In 1902 Inspector Abbeline suspected a man called George Chapman, a publican who was arrested for poisoning his barmaid Maud Marsh

Chapman's real name was Severiano Klosowski, a Polish immigrant working as a barber in Whitechapel in 1888

He was 28 years old and living in London at the time of the murders

He was secretive and often disappeared into dark little rented rooms around the poor quarters of London

He was also taller and slimmer than the man described by witnesses

So he had to go to the police before they found him and asked him why he was there

So perhaps he decided to kill his next victim indoors and chose Mary Kelly, knowing her room was safe.

He lived at the Victoria Home, a workingmen's lodging house in Commercial Street, right in the middle of the murder area, and very near Goulston Street, where the piece of Eddowes's apron was found

So was George Hutchinson Jack the Ripper? We do not know

The police believed there was one final murder by the Ripper in July 1889

If Hutchinson was the Ripper, why did he stop killing? We know that by 1891 he had moved away from Whitechapel

In Victorian times the East End was also violent, but the Ripper murders were something new

Murder was usually the result of domestic quarrels, drink, or robbery

To them he was a lunatic

On August 7th, before the Buck's Row murder, a woman called Martha Tabram was killed and then stabbed ferociously with a knife 39 times

This was so unusual that some writers today believe it was a Ripper murder

The Star reported the crime in very sensational language: the killer was 'half beast, half man', a 'demon', or 'vampire'

A young criminal called Squibby, for example, was in Hanbury Street, when a detective saw him in the crowd and chased him

The crowd followed shouting, 'Catch him!' Squibby was terrified and finally surrendered to the police for his own protection.

The message in chalk that blamed the Jews was written on the wall of a building in a Jewish area

But it is certain that the Ripper was not Jewish, and Samuel Montague, an important Jewish citizen and MP, offered a reward of 100 pounds for the arrest of the murderer

When a man called Brennan began to shout about the murders in a pub in Camberwell, the customers ran out into the street and Brennan was soon arrested

However, two days before, somebody sent a letter to the police, which was never published

It began 'Dear Boss' and there was a postscript which included the sentence 'What a pretty necklace I gave her'

The writer was probably talking about the injury to Annie's throat, but only the police, the doctors and the killer knew the details of Annie's murder

The letter was signed 'Catch me if you can

It was very probably from the murderer

A second letter of September 27th was signed 'Yours truly, Jack the Ripper'

This was published on October 1st, the day that the world finally had a name for the Whitechapel killer.

By 11 o'clock that morning, one reporter wrote, it seemed that the whole of the East End was 'out of doors'

On October 10th a woman hanged herself at 65 Hanbury Street because she was depressed about the murders

Jack the Ripper is still as elusive today as he was in 1888.

He was in his late forties, of medium height, broad-shouldered and strong

A leather cap half-hid his face, which was sunburnt and shining with sweat

His rough yellow shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a hairy chest

On his back was a heavy soldier's bag, and in his hand was a large wooden stick.

The innkeeper, who was also the cook, was busy with his pots and pans, preparing a meal for a group of travellers who were laughing and joking in the next room.

Outside, it was growing dark and a cold wind was blowing from the mountains in the east

He even tried sleeping in a garden, but was chased away by a dog

The Bishop of Digne was a kind old man who, many years earlier, had given his palace to the town hospital

He lived a simple life with his sister, Mademoiselle Baptistine, and his old servant, Madame Magloire, and he was much loved by the people in the town

That evening, Mme Magloire was chatting with Mile Baptistine before serving the meal.

'Brother.' Mile Baptistine turned to the bishop, who was sitting by the fire

'Did you hear what Mme Magloire was saying?'

Before the bishop could reply, there was a heavy knock on the door.

Valjean was so hungry that, at first, he paid no attention to anyone

This was the bishop's bedroom

As he was following the bishop across the room, however, he noticed Mme Magloire putting the silver knives and forks in a cupboard by the bed.

Valjean was so tired that he fell asleep, fully-dressed, on top of the sheets, but he didn't sleep for long

When he woke up, the cathedral clock was striking two, but he had not woken because of this

He had woken because the bed was too comfortable; he had not slept in a proper bed for twenty years

Life had been unjust to him, and he was angry

At that time he was looking after his sister, whose husband had died, and her seven children

Now, at last, he was free, but he felt bitter and angry about his lost years

The house was silent

The night was not very dark; there was a full moon, hidden from time to time by large clouds moving quickly across the sky

It was half-open

There was no sound.

The first thing he saw when he opened the door was the basket of silver

Early the next morning, while the bishop was studying the flowers in his garden, Mme Magloire ran out of the house with a look of alarm on her face.

The bishop, who had been bending sadly over a plant damaged by the basket, looked up and said gently, 'I think I was wrong to keep the silver for so long

Later that morning, as the bishop and his sister were having breakfast, there was a knock on the door

Three of them were policemen; the fourth was Jean Valjean.

'I thought he was a priest.'

The bishop, meanwhile, had moved towards the group of men and was smiling at Jean Valjean.

'Monseigneur,' said the sergeant, 'do I understand that this man was telling the truth? We found this silver in his bag, and

'And he told you,' the bishop finished the sentence for him, 'that an old priest had given it to him? Yes, he was telling the truth.'

Valjean, who did not remember having made such a promise, was silent.

Jean Valjean left the town and ran into the countryside, blindly following lanes and paths, not realizing that he was running in circles

He was filled with a strange kind of anger, but he did not know why

Finally, as evening fell, he sat on the ground, exhausted, and gazed across the fields at the distant mountains, wishing that he was back in prison

A boy of about ten years old was coming along a footpath with a small box on his back and dirty knees showing through holes in his trousers

He called the boy's name, but there was no reply

Within minutes he was running along the path, shouting

'Petit-Gervais! Petit-Gervais!' There was still no reply.

He was a boy of about ten, a chimney sweep

The mother was young and pretty, but she looked poor and unhappy

'I used to work in Paris, but my husband died and I lost my job.' She could not tell Mme Thenardier the truth, which was that she had been made pregnant by a young man who had then abandoned her

'You will have them,' said Fantine, assuming that she was talking to Mme Thenardiers husband

One month later, Thenardier was short of money again, so he took Cosette's beautiful silk clothes to Paris and sold them for sixty francs

The Thenardiers always replied that she was in good health and very happy

At the end of the year, however, Thenardier was not happy with just seven francs a month; he demanded twelve and Fantine paid without protest, happy that her daughter was being well cared for.

She rented a small room, sent money regularly to the Thenardiers and, for a short time, was almost happy

Although she was careful to say nothing about her daughter to anyone, other women at the factory soon discovered her secret

An unmarried woman with a child was a terrible thing in those days, and Fantine lost her job

She finally managed to earn a little money sewing shirts, but she was unable to send money regularly to the Thenardiers.

Fantine, who did not have ten francs, but who was afraid that her daughter would freeze to death, went to the barber's shop

After selling her hair to the barber, Fantine was able to buy a woollen dress, which she sent to the Thenardiers

This time they wanted forty francs because Cosette was very ill and urgently needed medicine

As she was wandering around the town, desperately trying to decide what to do, she noticed a crowd of people in the market square

That evening, she visited the dentist at the inn where he was staying, and allowed him to remove her teeth.

One winter's evening, a toothless woman with a grey face and flowers in her hair was arrested for attacking a man in the street

She was taken to the police station, where Inspector Javert, the chief of police, sent her to prison for six months.

While the policeman was trying to drag her to her feet, however, a voice from the shadows said, 'One moment please.'

Within a few months of his arrival, thanks to his new idea, the glass-making factory in Montreuil was making enormous profits

He was so popular that, in 1820, the townspeople elected him mayor of Montreuil.

There was one man, however, who did not like M

This was the chief of police, Inspector Javert.

Madeleine, and was sure that he had seen him somewhere before, many years earlier

Madeleine was, in fact, a dangerous criminal with a terrible past.

Madeleine was in the police station, trying to save Fantine from prison

Fantine, however, was not grateful

In fact, when she saw who it was, she spat at him.

'It was the man's fault, not this woman's

The man who had just saved her from prison was also the man who had caused all her troubles

The weeks passed and, although she was happier than she had been for a long time, Fantine caught a fever

Months of poverty and misery had made her ill, and she soon became so weak that she was unable to leave her bed.

Madeleine was making preparations to leave for Montfermeil and to fetch Cosette himself, he had a visitor

I was angry with you six weeks ago when you told me to release that woman

He was a prisoner I saw twenty years ago, when I worked at a prison in Toulon

When you arrived in Montreuil, I felt sure that you were this man, but now I know I was wrong, and I'm sorry

'The police headquarters in Paris told me that Jean Valjean was arrested last autumn for stealing apples,' Javert explained

'I was going to the man's trial in Arras tomorrow, 'Javert said

She had a high fever, and was coughing badly, but she still had only one thing on her mind.

Madeleine was really Jean Valjean, and M

He knew - although he was not happy to admit this - that he would have to go to Arras and tell the truth

But what choice did he have? The truth was more important than anything else.

The courtroom was full but, because he was such an important man, M

Madeleine was allowed to sit behind the judge's chair

He watched as several witnesses swore on the Bible that the man standing before the judge was Jean Valjean

Champmathieu, a large, simple-minded man, denied everything when his chance came to speak, but the crowd thought he was trying to be funny

He was preparing to announce his decision when M

Madeleine waited for the whispers to stop before announcing in a loud, clear voice that he was Jean Valjean

When he had persuaded the court of the truth of his confession, he was faced with a shocked but respectful silence.

'How is she?' he asked the nurse, who was watching her as she slept.

She was breathing with great difficulty, but her face looked peaceful and calm

Madeleine, who was holding her hand, turned and saw Inspector Javert

She looked as if she was going to speak, but no words came from her lips

He gazed into Fantine's eyes and knew immediately that she was dead.

'I didn't come here to argue,' Javert said, stepping back nervously, afraid that Valjean was going to attack him

'We always knew there was something strange about him,' they said

Christmas 1823 was especially lively and colourful in the village of Montfermeil

Entertainers and traders from Paris set up their stalls in the streets, and business at the Thenardiers' inn was very good

The nearest water supply was half-way down the wooded hill on which Montfermeil stood, and Cosette hated fetching water, especially in the dark

Miserably, she picked up a large, empty bucket that was almost as big as she was, and was walking with it to the door when Madame Thenardier stopped her.

She was cold and hungry as she dragged the bucket behind her along the crowded street, but she could not resist stopping in front of one of the stalls

It was like a palace to her, with its bright lights, shining glass and pretty objects

But the object that most attracted Cosette's attention was a large, golden-haired doll in a beautiful long pink dress

She had soon left the colourful lights and the happy laughter of the village behind her, and was running down the hill into the frightening darkness of the wood

When the bucket was full, she gripped the handle with her tiny, frozen hands and tried to pull it back up the hill

But the bucket was so heavy that, after a dozen steps, she had to stop for a rest

She was almost at the end of her strength, and she was still not out of the wood

For some reason, Cosette was not afraid

There was something about his eyes, tilled with a strange sadness, that she liked and trusted

'Forty sous,' Mme Thenardier replied (although the usual price was twenty).

'The baker's was shut,' she lied.

The coin was not there.

Cosette, checking that no one was watching, reached out and picked up the doll

She turned her back on the room and began to play with it, hoping that no one could see what she was doing

There was a sudden silence in the room

And, because she was carrying an expensive doll and was no longer wearing rags, not many recognized Cosette.

Cosette was leaving at last

She had the strange but comforting feeling that she was somehow travelling closer to God.

He then carried Cosette, who was sleeping in his arms, along a dark corridor and up some stairs to the room he had rented since his escape from Montreuil

There was not much furniture in the room - just an old bed, a mattress on the floor, a table, some chairs and a lighted stove

'I'm coming, Madame,' she yawned, blinded by the bright winter's sunlight that was shining into the room.

I was afraid that it was just a dream.'

Although he was rich, he had chosen a room in a poor part of Paris, where nobody would find him

His only neighbour was an old woman, who did his housework and kept his stove burning

Paying her six months in advance, he told her that he was a ruined Spanish gentleman, and that the little girl was his granddaughter.

He often gave money to beggars, which was unwise, because he soon became known in the area as 'the beggar who gives money to beggars'.

The beggar was still there, in the same position, wearing the same clothes

'But for a second, there was something about the beggars eyes that reminded me of Javert

A few evenings later, while he was giving Cosette a reading lesson in his room, Valjean heard the front door of the house open and close

This was unusual

Someone was coming up the stairs

He blew out the candle and, just as he was kissing Cosette on the forehead, the footsteps stopped

A light was shining through a crack in his door

Someone with a candle was standing outside his room.

At daybreak, as he was falling asleep at last, he heard footsteps in the corridor outside his room again

Running to the door, he put his eye to the large keyhole and saw the back view of a man who was walking towards the stairs

It was too dangerous for him and Cosette to stay there another night

He went back upstairs for Cosette, who was waiting for him patiently, holding her doll.

There was a full moon, and this pleased Valjean as he moved quickly along the narrow streets

By keeping close to the walls in the shadows, he could clearly see what was happening in the light

By now, Cosette was exhausted

Walking more slowly now, thinking he was safe from his pursuers, Valjean followed the alley until he came to a lane that seemed to lead away from the city

There was no way forward, but as he was turning back, he saw movements in the distance and the flash of moonlight on metal

On one side of him was a tall building, all its doors and windows covered with metal bars

On the other side there was a wall, higher than a tree

He was only just in time

There was a tree on the other side of the wall, and Valjean carried Cosette down into its branches just as the soldiers arrived.

The man had a terrible wound in his head, but he was still alive.

Georges Pontmercy was married with a young son

Gillenormand, was a very wealthy man, but the two men hated each other

He thought that Pontmercy was no better than a beggar, a penniless adventurer who only wanted his money

Gillenormand was an old fool

Gillenormand always told him that his father had been no good - that he was a poor soldier and a drunk who had abandoned him after his mother's death

For many years, Marius believed this, but when he was seventeen years old, he learnt the truth

Without telling his grandfather, Marius tried to contact his father and finally discovered where he was living

He went at once to visit him, but he was too late

My life was saved at Waterloo by a sergeant

His name was Thenardier

One day, however, his grandfather discovered what he was doing

He did not earn very much money, but it was enough for the rent and simple meals

He rarely bought new clothes, but he was proud of the fact that he had never been in debt

Life was hard for him, but he never forgot the promise he had made his father: that he would find Thenardier, the man who had saved his father's life, and help him in any way he could.

Marius was a handsome young man, but he was also extremely shy

In fact, they were attracted by his good looks, but he was not confident enough to realize this

As a result, he had no girlfriend, but he was happy with his books.

The man, who was perhaps sixty, had white hair and a serious but friendly-looking face

The girl, who was aged thirteen or fourteen, always wore the same badly-cut black dress

She was very thin, almost ugly, but Marius noticed that she had lovely blue eyes

But, although he was very interested in them, they seemed not to notice him at all

The girl was always talking happily, while the man said very little

The man was the same, but the thin, plain girl of six months earlier had become a beautiful young woman

Then one day, as he was passing, thinking about nothing in particular, the girl looked up at him and their eyes met

What he had experienced in that moment was not the honest, innocent gaze of a child

It was something more than that

Whatever it was, Marius sensed that, after that moment, his life would never be the same.

She was talking quietly to her father, and Marius could hear the soft, exciting murmur of her voice

He was sure, this time, that she had watched him as he passed

Taking a deep breath, he rose and was going to pass the bench for a third time when he stopped

Towards the end of the second week, while Marius was sitting in his usual place, he looked up from his book

When he felt that they were near him, he looked up and saw that the girl was looking steadily at him with a soft, thoughtful gaze that made him tremble from head to foot.

Every day for the next month, Marius went to the Luxembourg Gardens, excited by knowing that the girl was secretly looking at him, but too shy and embarrassed to know what to do

Leblanc had begun to suspect what was happening because often, when Marius appeared, he got to his feet and walked away, taking his daughter with him

When this happened, Marius did not stay in the Gardens, which was another mistake.

Marius was too much in love to think clearly

His desire for the girl was growing daily, and he dreamt of her every night

It was a plain, white handkerchief with the initials U.F

Leblanc and had simply fallen out of his pocket, but Marius was unaware of this

Eventually, Marius was not satisfied with just knowing the girl's name; he wanted to know where she lived

The concierge, however, became suspicious, thinking that Marius was connected with the police, and refused to say anything.

On the eighth night there was no light in the windows

The next day they did not go to the Gardens, so again Marius went to the house as night was falling

He stared fiercely at him and said, 'So, it's you again! I was right

One cold but sunny afternoon in February, Marius was walking along the street when two young girls dressed in rags ran into him

One was tall and thin, the other smaller

Realizing that one of the girls must have dropped it, he picked it up and called after them, but it was too late

However, there was something strange about them: although they all seemed to be written by different people, they were written on the same rough paper in the same handwriting

The next morning, while he was working, there was a gentle knock on his door.

But the voice that answered, saying, 'I beg your pardon, Monsieur,' was not that of Mme Bougon

It was more like the voice of a sick old man.

Marius looked up quickly and saw that his visitor was a thin girl wearing just a skirt and shirt

There was, however, still a trace of beauty in the sixteen-year-old lace, like pale sunlight beneath the thick clouds of a winter's dawn

Marius realized at once that the handwriting, the yellow paper and the smell of cheap tobacco was the same as in the four letters he had read the previous evening

This was why he had failed to recognize the two daughters when they had run into him on the street

But now he understood that Jondrette's business was writing dishonest letters, asking for money from people he imagined were wealthier than himself.

Now, after his conversation with the girl from the next room, he understood what real poverty was

As Marius was thinking about the sad life of the family in the next room, he stared dreamily at the wall that separated them

Then, in the top corner near the ceiling, Marius saw that there was a triangular hole.

The Jondrettes' room was dirty and evil-smelling, unlike Marius's bare but clean room

Its only furniture was a chair, an old table, some cracked dishes and two dirty beds, one on each side of a fireplace

A man with a long, grey beard was sitting at the table, writing a letter and smoking a pipe

A large woman with greying hair, once red, was sitting by the fire, while a thin, pale-faced child sat on one of the beds.

Marius, depressed at what he saw, was going to get down from the cupboard when the door of the Jondrettes' room opened and the elder girl came in

She put her fist through the glass and ran to her bed, crying because her arm was covered in blood.

Moments later, there was a gentle knock on the door

It was She.

Her companion as usual was M

But he was too late; their carriage had already gone

Turning, Marius saw that a hand was holding it open.

It was the Jondrette girl.

She had not entered the room, but was still standing in the half-light of the corridor.

'I tell you I'm sure.' Jondrette was speaking to his wife

You've forgotten, that child was ugly, and this one's not bad-looking.'

'We'll know what to do about it.' And then, as he was going to leave the room, he turned to his wife and said, 'You know, it's lucky he didn't recognize me

Although Marius was a dreamer and not a man of action, he knew immediately that he had to save M

Leblanc and 'Ursula' from the trap that Jondrette was setting for them

There was only one thing to do: he had to tell the police.

Half an hour later, Marius was at the nearest police station.

The desk clerk showed him into the police chief's office, where a tall man with a wide face and a thin, tight mouth was trying to keep warm next to a tire.

Finally, he asked Marius for his door key and told him to go home and hide quietly in his room so that his neighbours would think he was out.

It was nearly six o'clock

Outside it had stopped snowing, and a full moon was growing steadily brighter above the mist

Jondrette, who had just come in, was shaking snow from his shoes.

A few minutes later, there was nobody in the building except for Marius and the Jondrettes

Finally, Jondrette picked up a large picture that was leaning against the wall, and showed it to M

Jondrette was on his left, his wife was standing on his right near the door

For 1500 francs you took away a girl who was bringing me lots of money.'

I was a war hero, you know - I saved an officer's life at Waterloo! And you call me a criminal! Well, I'm going to teach you a lesson.'

Leblanc, but the old man was too quick for him

This was too much for Marius.

Leblanc was tied up and taken to the bed.

Finally, there was the sound of horses in the street outside and, moments later, the door to the room was thrown open.

Leblanc was standing by the fire, holding a metal bar above his head.

The brave man was in terrible danger, but Marius still could not fire the gun

He was just in time

Thenardier was advancing towards his prisoner, knife in hand, when his wife cried, 'Something fell!'

When everybody had been arrested and taken from the room, Javert noticed the prisoner, who was standing, head bowed, by the window

The rope ladder was swinging gently above the empty street.

Two months later, Marius was deeply unhappy

He sent money every Monday to Thenardier, who was in prison, which meant that he had even less money for himself

But the main reason for his unhappiness was that he was forced to live his life with no hope of seeing 'Ursula'.

One afternoon he was sitting in a field, looking down at a small river, when his dreams of 'Ursula' were suddenly broken by the sound of a familiar voice

All he had in the world was the five-franc piece he intended to give her father in prison

That evening, Cosette was alone in the house which Jean Valjean had bought about a year earlier

It was a small house in a back street, with a large, wild garden

Valjean had gone away on business for a couple of days, and Cosette was in the downstairs sitting room, playing the piano.

The next evening, as she was walking in the garden, she was sure that she heard someone moving in the trees

Inside, there was a small notebook filled with love poems

As she read the notebook, she knew in her heart that he was the author of these beautiful, romantic words

Finally, she kissed the book, held it to her heart and waited for the evening, when she knew that something special was going to occur.

She sat on the bench where she had found the notebook and, moments later, had the strange feeling that she was being watched

It was He!

Marius caught her and held her tightly in his arms without realizing what he was doing, lost in a mist of love

Now, for the first time, there was a cloud in the clear blue sky of his life

Marius turned and was surprised to see her smiling.

Finally, he heard a small sound behind him and, turning round, he saw that Cosette was in tears.

Gillenormand, Marius's grandfather, was now ninety years old

He was unhappy about many things - about losing his teeth, about the political situation but, most of all, about the fact that he had not seen his grandson for four years, since their big quarrel

Although he was too proud to admit he was wrong, and although he was angry, M

Gillenormand was sitting in front of a large fire, staring into the flames and thinking bitterly of Marius

He was feeling depressed, because he realized that he would probably never see his grandson again

While he was gazing into the fire, thinking these sad thoughts, his old servant entered the room and asked, 'Will Monsieur receive M

Gillenormand's face, and the servant began to worry that his master was ill

Nothing of him was clearly visible except his face, which was calm and serious, but strangely sad.

At last! After four years! Was it really him? He wanted to open his arms and hug him, but all he said was, 'What have you come for?'

'Tell me about it,' he said to Marius, who stared back with silent amazement, unaware that the word 'grandfather' was responsible for the change in the old man's behaviour

Gillenormand called for Marius to come back, but it was too late

When he woke up, Enjolras was in the room with a few other friends

Putting them in his jacket pocket, he went out and continued to wander aimlessly around the streets, noticing only occasionally the strange atmosphere of excitement that was growing in the town

People were running around, and there was a lot of noise, but Marius paid little attention

At nine o'clock that evening, Marius crept into the garden of Cosette's house, but she was not there waiting for him as she had promised

Now she was gone, he told himself, he had no future

There was nothing for him to do except die.

Marius ran to the gate and was just in time to see the figure of Eponine, Thenardier's daughter, disappearing into the shadows at the end of the street.

He was a strong supporter of the Catholic church and the aristocracy, and he took away the freedoms that Napoleon had given the ordinary citizens

He was wrong

In 1830, there was a peaceful revolution, and he was forced to leave

The new king, Louis-Philippe, was a brave and clever man who loved his country

The ordinary people liked him at first, but he soon showed that he was more interested in power for his family than democracy for his people

The day of his funeral was arranged for 5 June, and thousands of people saw this as a chance to make a public protest against the king and his government.

Soldiers accompanied the coffin as it was carried slowly across Paris

Their exit was blocked by more soldiers on horseback

The second killed a deaf old woman who was trying to shut her window.

There was a tall, grey-haired man whom nobody knew, but whose strong, brave face had impressed everybody

One of these children was Eponine, who had dressed like a boy so that no one would tell her to go home

Having run to tell Marius that his friends were waiting for him, she was helping Enjolras and his companions to build the barricade

Enjolras, who was the leader of the rebels, organized the building of a second barricade and the manufacture of bullets from melted silver

The tall, grey-haired man was doing useful work on the larger barricade, and Eponine (whom everyone thought was a boy) worked hard too

The man smiled and eventually admitted that he was.

He was just approaching the rue de Chanvrerie when he heard a loud voice calling from the shadows: 'Who's there?'

The street was lit with a sudden flash of light and filled with the thunder of gunfire.

Marius saw a soldier attacking Enjolras, who had fallen backwards and was calling for help

Marius, who had thrown away his guns and was now without a weapon, began to move towards a barrel of gunpowder he had seen near the door of the wine shop

Marius was standing at the foot of the barricade, holding a flaming torch above a barrel of gunpowder.

After two months of happiness with Cosette, he was now in the middle of a war

He could not believe this was happening to him

He was so confused that he did not recognize Javert, tied to a post inside the inn throughout the battle.

As he was walking by the smaller barricade, his thoughts were interrupted by a weak voice calling his name from the shadows.

He looked about him but, seeing no one, he started to walk away, thinking that he was imagining things.

A white face was turned towards him and the voice asked, 'Do you recognize me? It's Eponine.'

Marius bent down quickly, and saw that it was indeed that unhappy girl, dressed in a man's clothes.

'A soldier was going to shoot you,' she said, her voice no more than a whisper

For a moment she was silent

She pressed her hand to her chest, from which blood was pouring like dark wine

I was asked to post it, but I didn't

Her eyelids trembled, and then she was still

Marius, I think I was a little bit in love with you.'

She was going with her father to England, and his grandfather had refused to give his permission for him to marry

Our marriage was impossible

Jean Valjean, at that moment, was in a state of terrible shock

As he was eating, Toussaint told him about the fighting in the city, but he did not pay much attention

He was too worried about Cosette

There was no reason, he thought, why they should not continue to live happily together in England

He stood up and was going to leave the room when something made him stop

Cosette's blotter was lying on a cupboard just below it and, as Valjean stared at its reflection, he read the following lines:

But there was no doubt that this was Cosette's handwriting

But this was the worst thing that had ever happened to him - someone was threatening to rob him of the only person he loved!

He remembered clearly the young man in the Luxembourg Gardens who had shown such great interest in Cosette, and he was certain that this was the man she had written to.

He went out into the night and sat on the doorstep, his heart filled with a terrible hatred for the man who was trying to steal Cosette from him

This was enough to fill his hate-filled heart with sudden joy

So, the problem was solved! The man who threatened his happiness was going to die - was perhaps already dead.

Then Valjean frowned and, after a quick calculation, decided that Marius was probably still alive

He was still certain to die, and Valjean's happiness would be safe

The sky grew lighter, but not a door or window was open in the street

The barricade was stronger than it had been for the first assault, and the rebels were at their positions, guns loaded and ready for action

'It's sad,' he murmured to Marius, who was standing next to him

When a second cannon was moved into position next to the first, they knew that the end was near.

There were only twenty-six men left, and the main attack on the barricade was going to take place very soon

Enjolras, inside the wine shop, turned to Javert, who was still tied to the post.

At the same moment there was the sound of a drum, followed by a loud roar.

There was a roar of gunfire and the soldiers attacked, rushing towards the barricade

The first assault was beaten back by the brave rebels, but the soldiers attacked again and again

Soon, the ground below the barricade was piled with dead and wounded men as the rebels and soldiers fought hand to hand

Soon, all the rebels were dead, including Enjolras, who was the last to die

It was Jean Valjean's hand that had caught him as he fell

The situation was terrible

On one side of him was the field of battle

On the other side was the low barricade, behind which hundreds of soldiers waited for rebels trying to escape

It was a situation that only a bird could have escaped from

At the foot of the smaller barricade, half-hidden by broken stones and pieces of wood, there was a hole in the road covered with an iron grille

He was inside the Paris sewers

He could just see, by the grey light from the grille above his head, that he was surrounded by walls

He could not see where he was going, but he knew he had to follow the downward slope of the passages towards the river.

He was being followed! He pressed himself against the wall, held his breath and waited

Finally, the group of men moved off along another passage, and Valjean was left in total darkness once again.

Sometimes the roof of the passages was so low that he had to bend down as he walked

It was covered with blood and as pale as death

He did not know what part of the city he was passing under or how far he had come

The only thing he was sure of was that the light through the grilles far above his head was growing weaker, which meant that the sun was setting

Finally, when even his great strength was beginning to fade, he saw ahead of him a light - the clear light of day

He was suddenly filled with new energy at the sight, at last, of his way of escape from the sewers

The opening was closed with a strong iron gate, held firm by a huge, rusty lock

Valjean laid Marius down by the wall, where the floor was dry

But the gate was solid and the bars were firm.

There was no way out and, as all hope of escape left him, he began to think of Cosette.

He thought he was dreaming

It was Thenardier

When Valjean was outside, Thenardier closed the gate behind him and disappeared, like a rat, into the darkness of the sewers.

Then, just as he was bending to splash water from the river on Marius's face, he was aware of someone else standing behind him

Although the man's face was hidden in shadow, Valjean recognized him as Inspector Javert.

He had been more interested in catching Thenardier, who had escaped from prison and was known to be in the area.

Javert shouted to the driver who was waiting for him to bring his carriage close to the river

Javert was silent for some moments, his chin sunk in the collar of his overcoat

At the end of the rue de l'Homme-Arme, which was too narrow for the carriage to enter, Javert paid the driver and accompanied Valjean to his front door on foot.

Valjean went into his house and called, 'It's me!' Climbing the stairs, he paused for a moment to look out of the window to see what Javert was doing

But the street was empty; there was no one there.

The next morning, Inspector Javert's body was discovered floating in the river

It was the only way he knew to escape the confusion that was poisoning his heart.

'He was on the barricade and

Gillenormand, who was still standing by the window.

Finally, after three months, the doctor announced that Marius was out of danger

All he knew was that he had been brought to his grandfather's house in a carriage

Standing beside her on the doorstep was a white-haired man with a strangely nervous smile.

Gillenormand showed them up to the room where Marius was waiting

She wanted to throw herself into Marius's arms, but was unable to move, afraid to show the world that she loved him.

I was so excited today that I haven't even dressed up for you

The wedding was arranged for February the following year

Having been a mayor, he knew how to solve an awkward problem: the question of Cosette's real family He told everybody that he was not her father, but her guardian

He also invented a dead family for Cosette, so that everybody believed she was an orphan

Valjean, as her guardian, gave Cosette a large amount of money - half a million francs - but did not tell her that the money was his

It was arranged that the couple, who could not believe their sudden, new-found happiness, would live with M

He could not believe that this was the same man he had seen at the barricade all those months ago - it seemed like a bad dream to him.

First, there was Thenardier.

He was, without doubt, a bad man, but Marius had promised his father to find him and help him

The only thing they discovered was that Mme Thenardier had died, and that her husband had escaped from prison and disappeared with his surviving daughter, Azelma.

Second, there was the mysterious stranger who had saved his life

One evening, when Marius was talking to Cosette and Jean Valjean about the mystery and his unsuccessful attempts to solve it, he became angry with Cosette's guardian's lack of interest in his story.

'The man was a hero,' Marius said

'Do you realize, Monsieur, how brave this man was? He rescued me from the field of battle and carried me through the sewers of Paris

He risked his life to save a dying man, and why? He was a total stranger

Jean Valjean was silent.

All previous unhappiness was forgotten as they kissed in the church, watched proudly by M

It was the happiest night of Cosette's life, spoilt only by one thing: the fact that her guardian - whom she still thought of as her father - went home before the feast had started, saying that he felt ill

But Cosette was not unhappy for long

That night, however, he was unable to sleep

He remembered the little girl he had rescued from the Thenardiers ten years earlier, and felt sad that he was no longer the most important man in her life

Another man was the centre of her universe

He was proud of having helped to bring her happiness with Marius, but another thing troubled his soul: the fact that nobody, not even Cosette, knew the truth about him

That he was Jean Valjean, a criminal who had spent nineteen years in prison and who had stolen silver candlesticks from a trusting and kind-hearted bishop

Cosette was the only family I ever had

I tried to persuade myself that it would be better not to admit the truth about my past, but it was no use

It was cold and damp, but a fire had been lit and two armchairs had been placed in front of it

One evening in April, he called at the usual time but was told that Cosette had gone out with her husband

Valjean realized what was happening; Marius was telling the servants not to make him welcome any more

When Valjean did not appear for the second evening, Cosette sent a servant to his house to ask if he was well

Valjean replied that he was very well, but that he had business to attend to

He did not return to the house again, and Cosette was too busy with married life to think too much about him

Marius thought it was right to exclude Valjean from Cosette's life

The smell of tobacco and the handwriting on the envelope was so familiar that Marius immediately thought of the Jondrettes

It was signed 'Thenard', and was asking for money

However, Marius had a shock when he saw the man - he did not recognize him at all! He was an old man with a big nose, glasses and neat grey hair

He was wearing smart black clothes, and a gold watch chain hung from his jacket pocket.

The stranger explained in great detail how he used to work for the government in foreign countries and that, now he was retired, he wanted to move to South America with his wife and daughter

Unfortunately, it was a long journey, and he needed money.

Marius, meanwhile, was grateful for finally having the chance to help Thenardier, and therefore to keep the promise he had made to his father

I know this because I was there at the time.'

Madeleine because he was M

'But he's a splendid man! The fortune was really his, and he's not a murderer or thief at all! He's a hero and a saint!'

'He was carrying the body of a man he had robbed and killed,' Thenardier said

'That man was me!' Marius cried

'And here is the coat I was wearing!'

He was even more surprised when, instead of chasing him out of the room, Marius ran towards him and pressed several thousand-franc notes into his hand.