Les miserables (Abridged) - Victor Hugo [131]
Meanwhile he had scarcely left the hall of the Circuit Court when the prosecuting attorney, recovering from his first shock, addressed the court, deploring the insanity of the honourable Mayor of M——sur M——, declaring that his convictions were in no wise modified by this singular incident, which would be explained hereafter, and demanding the conviction of this Champmathieu, who was evidently the real Jean Valjean. The persistence of the prosecuting attorney was visibly in contradiction to the sentiment of all—the public, the court, and the jury. The counsel for the defence had little difficulty in answering this harangue, and establishing that, in consequence of the revelations of M. Madeleine—that is, of the real Jean Valjean—the aspect of the case was changed, entirely changed, from top to bottom, and that the jury now had before them an innocent man. The counsel drew from this a few passionate appeals, unfortunately not very new, in regard to judicial errors, etc., etc.; the judge, in his summing up, sided with the defence; and the jury, after a few moments’ consultation, acquitted Champmathieu.
But yet the prosecuting attorney must have a Jean Valjean, and having lost Champmathieu he took Madeleine.
Immediately upon the discharge of Champmathieu the prosecuting attorney closeted himself with the judge. The subject of their conference was, “Of the necessity of the arrest of the person of Monsieur the Mayor of M——sur M——.” This sentence, in which there is a great deal of of, is the prosecuting attorney‘s, written by his own hand, on the minutes of his report to the Attorney-general.
The first sensation being over, the judge made few objections. Justice must take its course. Then to confess the truth, although the judge was a kind man, and really intelligent, he was at the same time a strong, almost zealous royalist, and had been shocked when the mayor of M——sur M——, in speaking of the debarkation at Cannes, said the Emperor instead of Buonaparte.ax
The order of arrest was therefore granted. The prosecuting attorney sent it to M——sur M——by a courier, at full speed, to police-inspector Javert.
It will be remembered that Javert had returned to M——sur M——immediately after giving his testimony.
Javert was just rising when the courier brought him the warrant and order of arrest.
The courier was himself a policeman, and an intelligent man; who, in few words, acquainted Javert with what had happened at Arras.
The order of arrest, signed by the prosecuting attorney, was couched in these terms:—
“Inspector Javert will seize the body of Sieur Madeleine, Mayor of M——sur M——, who has this day been identified in court as the discharged convict Jean Valjean.”
One who did not know Javert, on seeing him as he entered the hall of the infirmary, could have divined nothing of what was going on, and would have thought his manner the most natural imaginable. He was cool, calm, grave; his grey hair lay perfectly smooth over his temples, and he had ascended the stairway with his customary deliberation. But one who knew him thoroughly and examined him with attention, would have shuddered. The buckle of his leather cravat, instead of being on the back of his neck, was under his left ear. This denoted an unheard-of agitation.ay
Javert was a complete character without a wrinkle in his duty or his uniform,12 methodical with villains, rigid with the buttons of his coat.
For him to misplace the buckle of his cravat, he must have received one of those shocks which may well be the earthquakes of the soul.
He came unostentatiously, had taken a corporal and four soldiers from a station-house near-by, had left the soldiers in the court, had been shown to Fantine’s chamber by the portress, without suspicion, accustomed as she was to see armed men asking for the mayor.
On reaching Fantine’s room, Javert turned the key, pushed open the door with the gentleness of a sick-nurse, or a police spy, and entered.
Properly speaking, he did not enter. He remained standing in the half-opened