The Miserable World

Chapter 82 Part One (81)
'Why，I thought that I had said to Monsieur le Maire that the case was to be tried to-morrow，and that I am to set out by diligence to-night.'
M.Madeleine made an imperceptible movement.
'And how long will the case last？'
'One day，at the most.
The judgment will be pronounced to-morrow evening at latest.
But I shall not wait for the sentence，which is certain；I shall return here as soon as my deposition has been taken.'
'That is well，'said M.Madeleine.
And he dismissed Javert with a wave of the hand.
Javert did not withdraw.
'Excuse me，Mr.Mayor，'said he.
'What is it now？'demanded M.Madeleine.
'Mr.Mayor，there is still something of which I must remind you.'
'What is it? '
'That I must be dismissed.'
M.Madeleine rose.
'Javert，you are a man of honor，and I esteem you.
You exaggerate your fault.
Moreover，this is an offence which concerns me.Javert，you deserve promotion instead of degradation.
I wish you to retain your post.'
Javert gazed at M.Madeleine with his candid eyes，in whose depths his not very enlightened but pure and rigid conscience seemed visible，and said in a tranquil voice：——

'Mr.Mayor，I cannot grant you that.'
'I repeat，'replied M.Madeleine，'that the matter concerns me.'
But Javert，heeding his own thought only，continued：——

'So far as exaggeration is concerned，I am not exaggerating.
This is the way I reason：

I have suspected you unjustly.
That is nothing.It is our right to cherish suspicion，although suspicion directed above ourselves is an abuse.
But without proofs，in a fit of rage，with the object of wreaking my vengeance，I have denounced you as a convict，you，a respectable man，a mayor，a magistrate！That is serious，very serious.
I have insulted authority in your person，I，an agent of the authorities！

If one of my subordinates had done what I have done，I should have declared him unworthy of the service，and have expelled him.
Well？

Stop，Mr.Mayor；one word more.I have often been severe in the course of my life towards others.That is just.
I have done well.
Now，if I were not severe towards myself，all the justice that I have done would become injustice.Ought I to spare myself more than others？

No!

What!

I should be good for nothing but to chastise others，and not myself！

Why，I should be a blackguard！

Those who say，That blackguard of a Javert！'would be in the right.
Mr.Mayor，I do not desire that you should treat me kindly；your kindness roused sufficient bad blood in me when it was directed to others.
I want none of it for myself.The kindness which consists in upholding a woman of the town against a citizen，the police agent against the mayor，the man who is down against the man who is up in the world，is what I call false kindness.That is the sort of kindness which disorganizes society.
Good God！it is very easy to be kind；the difficulty lies in being just.Come！if you had been what I thought you，I should not have been kind to you，not I！

You would have seen！

Mr.Mayor，I must treat myself as I would treat any other man.
When I have subdued malefactors，when I have proceeded with vigor against rascals，I have often said to myself，If you flinch，if I ever catch you in fault，you may rest at your ease！'
I have flinched，I have caught myself in a fault.So much the worse！

Come，discharged，cashiered，expelled！

That is well.I have arms.
I will till the soil；it makes no difference to me.Mr.Mayor，the good of the service demands an example.
I simply require the discharge of Inspector Javert.'
All this was uttered in a proud，humble，despairing，yet convinced tone，which lent indescribable grandeur to this singular，honest man.
'We shall see，'said M.Madeleine.
And he offered him his hand.
Javert recoiled，and said in a wild voice：——

'Excuse me，Mr.Mayor，but this must not be.
A mayor does not offer his hand to a police spy.'
He added between his teeth：——

'A police spy，yes；from the moment when I have misused the police.I am no more than a police spy.'
Then he bowed profoundly，and directed his steps towards the door.
There he wheeled round，and with eyes still downcast：——

'Mr.Mayor，'he said，'I shall continue to serve until I am superseded.'
He withdrew.
M.Madeleine remained thoughtfully listening to the firm，sure step，which died away on the pavement of the corridor.
BOOK SEVENTH.——THE CHAMPMATHIEU AFFAIR
Ⅰ　SISTER SIMPLICE
The incidents the reader is about to peruse were not all known at M.sur M.But the small portion of them which became known left such a memory in that town that a serious gap would exist in this book if we did not narrate them in their most minute details.Among these details the reader will encounter two or three improbable circumstances，which we preserve out of respect for the truth.
On the afternoon following the visit of Javert，M.Madeleine went to see Fantine according to his wont.
Before entering Fantine's room，he had Sister Simplice summoned.
The two nuns who performed the services of nurse in the infirmary，Lazariste ladies，like all sisters of charity，bore the names of Sister Perpetue and Sister Simplice.
Sister Perpetue was an ordinary villager，a sister of charity in a coarse style，who had entered the service of God as one enters any other service.
She was a nun as other women are cooks.This type is not so very rare.
The monastic orders gladly accept this heavy peasant earthenware，which is easily fashioned into a Capuchin or an Ursuline.
These rustics are utilized for the rough work of devotion.
The transition from a drover to a Carmelite is not in the least violent；the one turns into the other without much effort；the fund of ignorance common to the village and the cloister is a preparation ready at hand，and places the boor at once on the same footing as the monk：

a little more amplitude in the smock，and it becomes a frock.
(End of this chapter)