"I was happy to hear it, of course. Grantaire did tell me about him, but not the whole drama of his first meeting. He spoke of Pontmercy's willingness to listen." Smile softening, he says, "Grantaire gives the most gracious of toasts. Observant without being vicious, in the way the barbed wits of Elsinore are -- he's too loyal and loving a man to truly tear anyone apart. You are lucky to have him, you realize."