And in the meantime, what had become of that mother who according to the people at Montfermeil, seemed to have abandoned her child? —
而与此同时，根据蒙特费尔姆的人们所说，那位母亲似乎抛弃了她的孩子，她去了哪里？正在做什么？ —

Where was she? What was she doing?
她在何处？她在做什么？

After leaving her little Cosette with the Thenardiers, she had continued her journey, and had reached M. sur M.
将小Cosette托付给泰纳迪埃夫妇后，她继续了她的旅程，到达了M. sur M.

This, it will be remembered, was in 1818.
这是在1818年。

Fantine had quitted her province ten years before. M. sur M. Had changed its aspect. —
Fantine十年前就离开了她的省份。M. sur M.已经改变了面貌。 —

While Fantine had been slowly descending from wretchedness to wretchedness, her native town had prospered.
在Fantine从贫困到困苦的过程中，她的故乡却兴旺起来。

About two years previously one of those industrial facts which are the grand events of small districts had taken place.
大约两年前，发生了一个对小地区来说重要的工业事件。

This detail is important, and we regard it as useful to develop it at length; —
这个细节很重要，我们认为有必要详细展开； —

we should almost say, to underline it.
我们几乎可以说，要着重强调它。

From time immemorial, M. sur M. had had for its special industry the imitation of English jet and the black glass trinkets of Germany. —
自古以来，M. sur M.的特殊产业是模仿英国墨玉和德国黑玻璃饰品。 —

This industry had always vegetated, on account of the high price of the raw material, which reacted on the manufacture. —
由于原材料价格昂贵，这个产业一直未能发展。 —

At the moment when Fantine returned to M. sur M., an unheard-of transformation had taken place in the production of “black goods.” —
Fantine回到M. sur M.时，”黑货”生产发生了前所未有的变革。 —

Towards the close of 1815 a man, a stranger, had established himself in the town, and had been inspired with the idea of substituting, in this manufacture, gum-lac for resin, and, for bracelets in particular, slides of sheet-iron simply laid together, for slides of soldered sheet-iron.
1815年末，一位陌生人在镇上立足，并且灵感来自于用树脂代替树胶，尤其是用简单叠放的钢板代替焊接的钢板制作手镯。

This very small change had effected a revolution.
这个微小的改变带来了革命。

This very small change had, in fact, prodigiously reduced the cost of the raw material, which had rendered it possible in the first place, to raise the price of manufacture, a benefit to the country; —
这个微小的改变实际上极大地降低了原材料的成本，首先使得提高制造成本成为可能，这对国家是有利的； —

in the second place, to improve the workmanship, an advantage to the consumer; —
第二，改善工艺，对消费者有利； —

in the third place, to sell at a lower price, while trebling the profit, which was a benefit to the manufacturer.
第三，以更低的价格出售，同时将利润翻三倍，对制造商有益。

Thus three results ensued from one idea.
于是一个想法产生了三个结果。

In less than three years the inventor of this process had become rich, which is good, and had made every one about him rich, which is better. —
在不到三年的时间里，这个工艺的发明者变得富有了，这是好事，而且使他周围的每个人都变得富有了，这更好。 —

He was a stranger in the Department. Of his origin, nothing was known; —
他是这个地区的一个陌生人。关于他的出身，没有人知道； —

of the beginning of his career, very little. —
他事业的开始，了解甚少。 —

It was rumored that he had come to town with very little money, a few hundred francs at the most.
据传他来到小镇M。sur M.时几乎没有什么钱，最多只有几百法郎。

It was from this slender capital, enlisted in the service of an ingenious idea, developed by method and thought, that he had drawn his own fortune, and the fortune of the whole countryside.
就是用这笔微薄的资本，为了一个巧妙的想法，通过方法和思想的发展，他创造了自己的财富，也创造了整个乡村的财富。

On his arrival at M. sur M. he had only the garments, the appearance, and the language of a workingman.
在他来到M。sur M.的时候，他只有一个工人的外表，装束和语言。

It appears that on the very day when he made his obscure entry into the little town of M. sur M., just at nightfall, on a December evening, knapsack on back and thorn club in hand, a large fire had broken out in the town-hall. —
据说他刚抵达小镇M。sur M.的那一天，正值十二月的一个傍晚，背着背包，手里拿着荆棘棍，市政厅发生了一场大火。 —

This man had rushed into the flames and saved, at the risk of his own life, two children who belonged to the captain of the gendarmerie; —
这个人冲进火焰中，冒着生命危险救出了属于宪兵队长的两个孩子； —

this is why they had forgotten to ask him for his passport. —
这就是为什么他们忘了要他的护照。 —

Afterwards they had learned his name. He was called Father Madeleine.
事后他们才知道他叫马德兰。