Les Misérables, v. 1/5: Fantine

by Victor Hugo

  CHAPTER IX.

  NEW WRONGS.

  When the hour for quitting the bagne arrived, when Jean Valjean heardin his ear the unfamiliar words "You are free," the moment seemedimprobable and extraordinary, and a ray of bright light, of thelight of the living, penetrated to him; but it soon grew pale. JeanValjean had been dazzled by the idea of liberty, and had believed ina new life, but he soon saw that it is a liberty to which a yellowpassport is granted. And around this there was much bitterness; he hadcalculated that his earnings, during his stay at the bagne, shouldhave amounted to 171 francs. We are bound to add that he had omittedto take into his calculations the forced rest of Sundays and holidays,which, during nineteen years, entailed a diminution of about 24 francs.However this might be, the sum was reduced, through various localstoppages, to 109 francs, 15 sous, which were paid to him when he leftthe bagne. He did not understand it all, and fancied that he had beenrobbed.

  On the day after his liberation, he saw at Grasse men in front of adistillery of orange-flower water,--men unloading bales; he offeredhis services, and as the work was of a pressing nature, they wereaccepted. He set to work; he was intelligent, powerful, and skilful,and his master appeared satisfied. While he was at work a gendarmepassed, noticed him, asked for his paper, and he was compelled toshow his yellow pass. This done, Jean Valjean resumed his toil. Alittle while previously he had asked one of the workmen what he earnedfor his day's work, and the answer was 30 sous. At night, as he wascompelled to start again the next morning, he went to the master ofthe distillery and asked for payment; the master did not say a word,but gave him 15 sous, and when he protested, the answer was, "That isenough for you." He became pressing, the master looked him in the faceand said, "Mind you don't get into prison."

  Here again he regarded himself as robbed; society, the state, bydiminishing his earnings, had robbed him wholesale; now it was theturn of the individual to commit retail robbery. Liberation is notdeliverance; a man may leave the bagne, but not condemnation. We haveseen what happened to him at Grasse, and we know how he was treated atD----.