"Six months..." repeated Fantine quietly. Then, as the meaning of those words struck her full on, she startled violently and almost fell from her chair.
"Six months!" she screamed with powerless fury. Sharp spots of color rose in her pallid cheeks; a few weak gasps escaped her throat, as if she were short of air.
And then the dam burst.
"Half an entire year in prison, for a brawl that I didn't even start? You heartless bloody fiend, tread all over me if you like, but have pity on my daughter! What's she done to you that you condemn her to freeze in the streets? Who's going to pay those evil peasants for her keeping if I'm away in a prison for six months? You, copper? Are you going to feed her and clothe her and pay for her medicines? I owe them one hundred francs, do you know that? Why do you think I've not gone to the public house? I can't make enough money in the public house, no one will buy me there, they have prettier girls, healthier girls! You think I enjoy walking in the cold without a shawl, with fellows throwing snowballs at me and tripping me on the sidewalk? You think I like what I do? You think I'm merrymaking when I drink brandy and brawl?!"
A violent coughing fit interrupted her, and she bent double in her chair, struggling to regain her breath and keep from retching. Javert looked on without saying a word. Breathing heavily, Fantine pulled Javert's monogrammed handkerchief away from her mouth. It came back full of vile greyish-green mucus and covered in bright red spots of blood.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to spoil it with blood... there's usually no blood... I'm so sorry..." She spoke softly now, with her head hanging low.
"Does it hurt your stomach to cough like this?" asked Javert calmly, after a moments's reflection.
"No," said Fantine, shaking her head. "It doesn't. Burns a little in the chest though. And the shoulder, the left one. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to say all those mean things. I just... oh, it's just so hard... I know I've done bad, but what else could I do? The prison contractors pay so little, only nine sous a day, and my eyes are not so good anymore, to work without a candle at night..."
Javert stood up and took a few slow, hesitating steps towards Fantine. He looked slightly unsettled, as if he couldn't decide what to do next. After standing still for a few long moments, he sighed and started to unbutton his coat, glancing occasionally at the soiled handkerchief in Fantine's hands. Once the last button was undone, he dropped his coat over the back of his chair, looked towards the stove, where a washbasin stood full of water, took a deep breath and stretched out his hand.
"Give it here."
Fantine frowned but complied. Javert grasped the rag by two clean corners, carried it over to his desk, laid it flat onto a sheet of paper and began to study its foul contents. Fantine watched him, confused and not a little disgusted.
It did not take Javert long to conclude his inspection. He picked up the handkerchief by the same two corners, folded it, and threw it back into Fantine's lap.
"Unpleasant, but not unexpected," he murmured, crumpling up the sheet of paper and throwing it into the stove. "And you saw the doctor for this cough, you said?" he asked, turning his back to Fantine and washing his hands thoroughly in the basin.
"Yes, a few days ago. He was nice, told me to be good and take care of myself. Wait a moment, when did I say this?"
"Just now," said Javert. Fantine thought she could almost hear him grinning over the splashing water. "So tell me then, if you are not afraid of doctors, why didn't you go see one when I ordered it two months ago?"
Fantine turned pink and turned her eyes away.
"It's not the same. I didn't mind this one. He only held my wrist a little. He didn't look... down there."
Javert's back went still.
"Are you meaning to tell me you didn't get your venereal check-up out of some sort of perverse modesty?" he exclaimed, slowly turning to face Fantine and shaking water droplets off his hands.
Fantine shrugged a little and blushed again. Javert realized that what he had blurted out was true and blinked a few times in amazement.
"Woman, are you insane? Don't you think such feelings are a little misplaced considering your current occupation?"
"I always extinguish the candle with the others," whispered Fantine. "They don't ever see nothing."
Overwhelmed by the shame of having to speak about such intimate things with a policeman, she hid her face in her hands.
"Six months!" she screamed with powerless fury. Sharp spots of color rose in her pallid cheeks; a few weak gasps escaped her throat, as if she were short of air.
And then the dam burst.
"Half an entire year in prison, for a brawl that I didn't even start? You heartless bloody fiend, tread all over me if you like, but have pity on my daughter! What's she done to you that you condemn her to freeze in the streets? Who's going to pay those evil peasants for her keeping if I'm away in a prison for six months? You, copper? Are you going to feed her and clothe her and pay for her medicines? I owe them one hundred francs, do you know that? Why do you think I've not gone to the public house? I can't make enough money in the public house, no one will buy me there, they have prettier girls, healthier girls! You think I enjoy walking in the cold without a shawl, with fellows throwing snowballs at me and tripping me on the sidewalk? You think I like what I do? You think I'm merrymaking when I drink brandy and brawl?!"
A violent coughing fit interrupted her, and she bent double in her chair, struggling to regain her breath and keep from retching. Javert looked on without saying a word. Breathing heavily, Fantine pulled Javert's monogrammed handkerchief away from her mouth. It came back full of vile greyish-green mucus and covered in bright red spots of blood.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to spoil it with blood... there's usually no blood... I'm so sorry..." She spoke softly now, with her head hanging low.
"Does it hurt your stomach to cough like this?" asked Javert calmly, after a moments's reflection.
"No," said Fantine, shaking her head. "It doesn't. Burns a little in the chest though. And the shoulder, the left one. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to say all those mean things. I just... oh, it's just so hard... I know I've done bad, but what else could I do? The prison contractors pay so little, only nine sous a day, and my eyes are not so good anymore, to work without a candle at night..."
Javert stood up and took a few slow, hesitating steps towards Fantine. He looked slightly unsettled, as if he couldn't decide what to do next. After standing still for a few long moments, he sighed and started to unbutton his coat, glancing occasionally at the soiled handkerchief in Fantine's hands. Once the last button was undone, he dropped his coat over the back of his chair, looked towards the stove, where a washbasin stood full of water, took a deep breath and stretched out his hand.
"Give it here."
Fantine frowned but complied. Javert grasped the rag by two clean corners, carried it over to his desk, laid it flat onto a sheet of paper and began to study its foul contents. Fantine watched him, confused and not a little disgusted.
It did not take Javert long to conclude his inspection. He picked up the handkerchief by the same two corners, folded it, and threw it back into Fantine's lap.
"Unpleasant, but not unexpected," he murmured, crumpling up the sheet of paper and throwing it into the stove. "And you saw the doctor for this cough, you said?" he asked, turning his back to Fantine and washing his hands thoroughly in the basin.
"Yes, a few days ago. He was nice, told me to be good and take care of myself. Wait a moment, when did I say this?"
"Just now," said Javert. Fantine thought she could almost hear him grinning over the splashing water. "So tell me then, if you are not afraid of doctors, why didn't you go see one when I ordered it two months ago?"
Fantine turned pink and turned her eyes away.
"It's not the same. I didn't mind this one. He only held my wrist a little. He didn't look... down there."
Javert's back went still.
"Are you meaning to tell me you didn't get your venereal check-up out of some sort of perverse modesty?" he exclaimed, slowly turning to face Fantine and shaking water droplets off his hands.
Fantine shrugged a little and blushed again. Javert realized that what he had blurted out was true and blinked a few times in amazement.
"Woman, are you insane? Don't you think such feelings are a little misplaced considering your current occupation?"
"I always extinguish the candle with the others," whispered Fantine. "They don't ever see nothing."
Overwhelmed by the shame of having to speak about such intimate things with a policeman, she hid her face in her hands.