Child of the Law (ch2)

This was never intended to be a long story; in fact, I very nearly published it as a single chapter, though on balance I'm glad I didn't. And it does split quite neatly...

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Chapter 2: le père Valjean

Things were hard in Montreuil-sur-mer since Madeleine’s workshops had closed, and becoming harder. Misery bred want and desperation with scant regard for the law, and Javert drove himself and his men relentlessly to control every infraction and re-establish order by any means at hand. The inspector’s cold eyes were everywhere and the long arm of his authority seldom far behind. It was a matter for some remark, therefore, when it became known that of late his iron grasp had, on occasion, been rumoured to relent.

There was the case of Mère Badeau, for one, whose only son, a hapless half-wit, had been sent home with a scathing reprimand in lieu of the five days in the cells which he had merited for a drunken brawl. And there was Clothilde the laundress, who had spat in the face of madame la député when that worthy’s wife had turned her away for the third time with her account still unpaid: a case of common assault that should have earned her six weeks’ hard labour, but cost her only a public penance and the ruination of what little trade she had among the dowagers of the town. (A trade which, it must be added, was of the kind that brings more reflected glory than profit, for while the linen of these great ladies was very fine their payment was often tardy or indefinitely deferred.)

The cases had been dismissed upon authority. Whose? Upon that of the inspector of police, exercising official discretion. The rumours were met with incredulity, but they persisted.

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