Memoirs of Les Amis de l'ABC

Chapter Ten: An Exchange of Letters

AUTHOR'S NOTE
The format of this is a little different than the other chapters because time is passing, and the important part is obviously the exchange letters (since they're mentioned in the title). It's also shorter than the others. Just a heads up!

After a full day of chaperoning an excursion between Marius and Cosette, Courfeyrac gave Sybill the letter Enjolras had written to her. It was now Saturday evening, and she had plans to meet with Courfeyrac at Madame Dubois's bakery the following Monday afternoon. 

Sybill Fauchelevent gazed at Enjolras's copy of her essay before her as she lay it on the dining room table. Everyone else in the little house was asleep including the unruly Gavroche. The essay was marked up, circled, underlined, crossed out, and annotated. At the end, Enjolras wrote:

"Mademoiselle Nadine (I seem to have forgotten your new name),
Your arguments are increasingly fascinating. I do concede - albeit hesitantly - that your wit may be as deft as that of my own considering how eloquent you can argue your case. Your insight has been refreshing, but I do believe that it needs some adjustment in the sense that this essay is pro-revolution. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Monsieur Julian Enjolras."

Sybill read the letter twice over with a large smile growing onto her features. The girl's eyes gleaned with mischief as she grabbed a pen and began correcting his notes on her essay.

* * *

On Monday evening, Courfeyrac barged into the Café Musain with a large smile plastered on his face. He waltzed to the table where his two dear friends sat. This evening, Combeferre and Enjolras were merely discussing some poetry that Jean-Prouvaire had taken the time to share with them.

"You are in great humor this evening," mused Combeferre with a knowing grin.

"I am certain you can guess why," smiled Courfeyrac, sitting at the table.

"You were with Mademoiselle Fauchelevent?" inquired Combeferre.

"You are always so wise, my friend," smirked Courfeyrac.

"How oft have you met?" questioned the bespectacled boy.

"I daresay four times at least," admitted Courfeyrac as he sat at the table, "and that is all within a span of two weeks only."

"You are well met then in your pursuits," smirked Combeferre.

"Quite," Courfeyrac agreed. "I daresay that I should expect a proposal of courtship from the fair lady quite soon."

Combeferre laughed. "I would not put it past the girl to be the one doing the asking from the tales you have told."

Courfeyrac smiled then noticed Enjolras who had kept silent. "Oh, Mademoiselle Fauchelevent sent this for you," Courfeyrac finally announced in his bit of forgetfulness. "Yes, here it is," he said, retrieving the wrinkled envelope from his coat pocket. "She sent this in reply to your own message. I must admit that I do indeed feel rather cheated about not being able to read either letter for I anticipate the conversation is growing heated at this rate."

Enjolras had begun to carefully open the letter and chuckled when Courfeyrac said those words. "I have only sent her a copy of the essay with written proof of its pro-revolution themes."