Chapter 6: Duty and Right
"Cosette."
Javert peered down at the small girl in his lap. She had fallen asleep with her head resting against his chest, one hand lying limply in her lap, the other still clutching the buttons of his uniform as if her life depended on it. She looked so peaceful. He hated to wake her up to break the news. He gently shook her by the shoulder.
"Cosette, wake up."
She tensed, jumping a little at the sound of the voice which had pulled her from her dreams, and abruptly sat up, blinking in the early morning sunlight that streamed through the window. Giving a polite little yawn, she stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her eyes widened slightly when she remembered the events of the night before, her attention immediately drawn to the still figure on the sofa.
"No!" she gasped. She looked up helplessly into the inspector's eyes. "He…he isn't…. P-please say Papa isn't—"
Javert's eyes darted to where Valjean lay unmoving, his face bearing an unreadable expression that seemed to waver between relief and dread. "No," he answered quietly. "His fever has broken. He's resting soundly now. He should wake by nightfall."
Cosette momentarily forgot how to breathe, afraid she'd heard her new friend wrong. "You mean…he's going to be alright?" she asked, hardly daring to hope. "It's over?"
Javert nodded grimly, eyes still focused on the mayor. "It's over."
There was something unsettling in his gaze, but Cosette shrugged it off as merely the result of a stressful night. Then, all at once, the realization sank in, and she felt her heart leap in a sudden burst of joy.
"You did it!" She grinned. "You saved him!"
But Javert found that he could not meet her gaze. The innocent smile that lit up her face was absolutely killing him. And for the first time in his life, he wanted to curse the law.
The inspector sighed, taking Cosette by the shoulders and gently pushing her away. "Cosette, there is something I must tell you…something you may not wish to hear."
He didn't want to do this.
He withdrew an envelope from his jacket pocket—the arrest warrant for Jean Valjean. He had his proof now. One word to the authorities in Paris, and he would regain their respect. But at what price? Could he do what the law required of him even if went against his personal conscience? Did he have a choice? And more importantly, could he live with himself if he made the wrong one? His hand was trembling.
He didn't want to do this!
But you must!
He felt a light touch on his arm. Cosette stared up at him, her delicate brow furrowed in concern. "Monsieur?"
Javert closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, he looked directly at her with an expression that was not quite sorrowful but almost apologetic. He had never felt the need to explain himself before; there was nothing shameful in simply doing one's job. If everyone chose to indulge their personal beliefs and interests over the keeping of the law, the world would fall into chaos and ruin…but what if what was right and what was lawful conflicted?
You ARE the law, he reminded himself. For you, there is no difference.
"Sometimes, Cosette, the mouse cannot be saved. Sometimes the cat must win."
Cosette cocked her head, confused. "I…don't understand." She had nearly forgotten about their uninvited houseguest from a few days prior and could not understand why such an insignificant event would trouble him so deeply. "Why would you send out a cat now, monsieur? The mouse is probably long gone. He won't cause any more trouble." She paused. "And anyway, he didn't really take that much—just a few crumbs. It seems silly to worry over it now."
Javert recalled reading, once, that there was no greater love than that of a man who would lay down his life for a friend; what, then, did that say about the character of a man who would lay down his life for an adversary? [1] Was such a man—even if he was formerly a thief—deserving of the galleys? And if not—the thought terrified him—was it possible the law was wrong?
He shook his head.
The law is never wrong. He had to believe that. He had to, or else he'd have to call into question everything he'd ever done—every decision he'd ever made. He's a convict.
And a good man.
He cannot be both saint and sinner! The two cannot coexist. People are incapable of change.
But Cosette's voice whispered in his ear. Maybe, it said, this one will be different.
"Yes…." He seemed to consider her words for a moment—such wisdom coming from the mouth of a child. And she wasn't even aware of it. "I suppose it does seem rather foolish, doesn't it?"
Javert looked from Cosette back to Valjean. He took one last glance at the envelope in his hand and threw it into the fire.
[1] See John 15:13.
C'mon, guys, you didn't REALLY think I was gonna kill off Valjean, did ya? I'm not THAT mean! I mean, Les Mis has enough death in it without me adding to it. :P So, Valjean's out of the danger zone now, but he still has to wake up. Wonder how he'll react to Javert now that he knows his secret is out? I've got ONE more chapter for you guys, so stay tuned! :)