Book Five: The Descent (Part One: Fantine)
(Hapgood translation)
Chapter 1: The History of a Progress in Black Glass Trinkets, 11.18-11.29%
So what's Fantine been up to? She went to Montreuil sur Mer, which had prospered in the decade she'd been away. The town's special industry had always been the imitation of English jet and and black glass trinkets from Germany, but it was hard to make much of a profit in this industry, because of the high price of the raw material. But at the end of 1815 a stranger had turned up with some revolutionary new ideas which reduced the cost of these raw materials and thus resulted in higher wages, better quality, and higher profits. By 1818 this stranger had become rich, and made everyone else richer too. No-one knew anything about his origins, but it seemed that he had been pretty poor when he arrived in Montreuil sur Mer. On the night that he'd arrived he saved two children of the captain of the gendarmerie from a fire, which was why no-one bothered asking for his passport. He was called Father Madeleine.
Chapter 2: Madeleine, 11.29-11.52%
After two years Madeleine was able to build a big, gender-segregated factory, and anyone could get a job there as long as they had good morals or whatever. Everyone in the town was better off thanks to Father Madeleine. He spent most of his profits on the town and its poor. Improved the hospital, built schools (and paid the teachers really well), set up a fund for old/infirm workers. The people of the town were suspicious of his motives for a long time. In 1819 the King offered to make him mayor, and then a member of the Legion of Honour, but he refused both. Everyone liked him (despite gossiping about him). In 1820 he was offered mayorship again, and this time he accepted, and became Monsieur le Maire.
Chapter 3: Sums deposited with Laffitte, 11.52-11.73%
He kept himself to himself as much as possible. He liked books, and read a lot. He took his gun with him on walks, and while he rarely fired it, when he did he was a really good shot. He was also very strong. (wow he's sounding a bit like Valjean! haha what a funny coincidence). He taught the peasants how to do lots of farm-y type things. He liked going to funerals. He liked to do good sneakily, like by breaking into people's houses to leave them money. There were rumours that he had 2 or 3 million in the bank that he could take out at any time, but it was actually only about 630,000 francs.
Chapter 4: M. Madeleine in Mourning, 11.73-11.88%
The death of the Bishop of Digne, at the age of 82, was announced in the paper at the beginning of 1820. He'd been blind for several years before his death, and his sister had looked after him, which was just the best thing ever apparently. The next day Madeleine went into mourning. The people of the town working out who he was mourning for, and one lady asked him if he was a relative. He said no, he'd been a servant in the Bishop's household. Also, the mayor was unusually kind to Savoyards.
Chapter 5: Vague Flashes on the Horizon, 11.88-12.24%
So by 1821 everybody loved and admired him, almost as much as the people of Digne had loved the Bishop. Except for Javert. He was always suspicious of Madeleine, and felt like he recognised him from somewhere. Javert was born inside a jail, but decided to join the police, and was an inspector at 40. He took respect for authority and hatred of rebellion to crazy extremes (and he had a very wide definition of rebellion). He read, even though he hated books. He had no vices, just occasionally had a pinch of snuff as a treat. The whole "criminal class" was scared of him. Most of the time Madeleine just ignored Javert's scrutiny though. (also Hugo really wants to be writing daemon fic)
Chapter 6: Father Fauchelevent, 12.24-12.42%
One day Madeleine came across Father Fauchelevent being crushed by a cart. Fauchelevent was, at that time, one of the few people in the village who didn't like the mayor. There were people crowded round, but they didn't think to do anything apparently? Madeleine offered lots of money for someone to lift the heavy cart off Fauchelevent, but no-one was willing to risk it. Javert was like: Dude, the only person who'd be strong enough to do that is this convict I knew once in the galleys. At this Madeleine went pale, but still, he went under the cart. He managed to lift it a little bit, and then the crowd finally decided to help. Everyone was very happy, and Madeleine and Javert stared at each other for a bit.
Chapter 7: Fauchelevent becomes a Gardener in Paris, 12.42-12.52%
Fauchelevent had dislocated his knee, so Madeleine puts him in his factory's own private little hospital, and gives him 1,000 francs. His knee didn't completely recover, so Madeleine got him a job as a gardener at a convent in Paris. Shortly after that Madeleine was appointed mayor, which made Javert shudder, and start avoiding him as much as possible. When Fantine arrived in town, no-one remembered her from her childhood. She got a job in Madeleine's factory. She wasn't that good at the work so she didn't earn much, but it was enough.
Chapter 8: Madame Victurnien expends Thirty Francs on Morality, 12.52-12.71%
Fantine was happy to be earning her living. She bought some furniture on credit, and sent a couple of letters a month to Cosette. Some people are very nosy. "So Fantine was watched." Also many were jealous of her nice hair and teeth (seriously Hugo we get it). They noticed she sent a lot of letters, so found out from the letter-writer what they were about, and that Fantine had a child. One, called Madame Victurnien, actually spent thirty-five francs going to Montfermeil to see Cosette for herself. And so it was that after a bit more than a year of working at the factory, Fantine was given 50 francs and asked, in the mayor's name, to leave the neighbourhood. This was the month that the Thenardiers had raised their price to 15 francs. Fantine couldn't leave the neighbourhood because she was in debt for her furniture. She was adviced to see the mayor, but didn't dare. "She bowed before the decision."
Chapter 9: Madame Victurnien's Success, 12.71-12.88%
As it happens, Madeleine knew nothing about Fantine's dismissal, it was all down to the superintendent. Fantine couldn't get a job as a servant. She gave three quarters of her furniture back, but was still in debt. She began making shirts, and earned about 12 sous a day (10 of which she sent to the Thenardiers). A nice old woman who lived in her building - Marguerite - taught her how to live on very little though. At first she was ashamed to go out, but after a bit she decided she didn't care. Madame Victurnien, when she saw her, felt pleased with herself for putting her "back in her proper place." Fantine got worn out and got a cough. But she still liked having her pretty hair (jesus christ hugo really?).
Chapter 10: Result of the Success, 12.88-13.20%
She'd been fired towards the end of winter, and survived the summer, but then winter came again. Fantine was getting further and further into debt. The Thenardiers wrote that Cosette had no clothes, they needed at least 10 francs to buy her a good skirt. Fantine sold her hair for 10 francs, bought a skirt, and sent it. The skirt went to Eponine. She began hating Madeleine, and everyone else. She "took a lover" who beat her and then left her. She was still ill. The Thenardiers told her Cosette was ill, and they urgently needed 40 francs for medicine. She sold her two front teeth for 40 francs. She had moved to a really shitty room, and got rid of even more of her furniture. She no longer cared about her appearance. She was being constantly nagged about her debts. Her illness was getting worse. Her rate of pay was suddenly lowered, so she only made 9 sous a day, for 17 hours work. The Thenardiers demanded 100 francs or they would turn Cosette out. She became a prostitute.
Chapter 11: Christus nos Liberavit, 13.20-13.27%
Prostitution, says Hugo, is slavery. "nothing is left to Fantine of that which she had formerly been." She is indifferent to everything, or at least she believes herself to be so. It can always get worse though, Hugo tells us. Thanks Hugo. Why does this sort of thing happen? Only God knows.
Chapter 12: M. Bamatabois's Inactivity, 13.27-13.44%
In all small towns you get young men who basically want to be gentlemen but aren't quite there. They have enough of an income not to work, so thety just kind of hang about playing billiards and exaggerating the fashions.Eight or ten months after Fantine turned to prostitution, around the 1st of January 1823, one of these men - M. Bamatabois - was having a great time taunting Fantine as she walked up and down in the snow. She was ignoring him, however, and this annoyed him, so he crept up behind her and shoved snow down the back of her dress. She roared, and turned and attacked him, while insulting him loudly. A crowd gathered to watch them fighting, and then suddenly Javert turned up, grabbed Fantine, and told her to come with him. She went pale upon recognising him, and Bamatabois slipped off.
Chapter 13: The Solution to Some Questions connected with the Municipal Police, 13.44-14.05%
Javert drags Fantine to the police station. The crowd follows, jeering. Fantine crouches in the corner while Javert decides what to do with her. This is a serious offence, he decides, and he sentences her to six months in jail. Fantine is horrified and pleads her case at length, crying. He hears her out, but "a heart of wood cannot be softened." But Madeleine has come in, and says "One moment, if you please." Fantine spits in his face, and he tells Javert to let her go. Javert is totally shocked and just stands there while a not-entirely-lucid Fantine decides it must actually have been Javert who said she could go, because the mayor is a bad man. She begins to leave, but Javert tells her to stop, possibly because he has also decided that the mayor couldn't possibly have said somethign so crazy. They have an argument: Madeleine says Fantine's innocent, Javert says it's his decision, Madeleine quotes the law like a boss, pointing out that actually the mayor gets to be the judge in these situations. He tells Javert to leave. Fantine is totally amazed that Madeleine is being nice, especially when he tells her he'll look after her and bring her Cosette. She faints.