Chapter 48 Seven Fauchelephon works as a gardener in Paris

Fauchelevent's kneecap fell off.Uncle Madeleine had him carried into the convalescent room which he had prepared for his workers, in the building of his factory, where two nuns served.The next morning, the old man found on the bedside table a bill of one thousand francs and a sentence written by Uncle Madeleine himself: "I will buy your cart and horse." The cart was broken and the horse was dead. .After Fauchelevent's injury was healed, his knee was still stiff.M. Madeleine, through the introduction of the nuns and the curate, installed the old man as a gardener in a convent in the Saint-Antoine district of Paris.

A few days later, M. Madeleine was appointed mayor.Javert, the first time he saw M. Madeleine donning the sash that signifies the mastery of the city, could not help trembling like a dog smelling a wolf under its master's coat.From that day on, he tried to avoid him as much as possible.If the urgency of business necessitated an interview with the mayor, he would talk to him respectfully. Apart from the obvious facts which we have pointed out, the prosperity which Comrade Madeleine produced at Montreuil-sur-Mer had another influence, which, although invisible on the surface, was no less important.This is not wrong at all. When the people are poor, jobs are lacking, and businesses are in decline, taxpayers will definitely default on taxes due to financial constraints. If the time limit is exceeded, the government must also spend a lot of collection fees.When there is a lot of work, the place is rich, and the people are happy, taxation will be smooth, and the government will save money.We may say that the size of the tax collection fee is an infallible thermometer for measuring the wealth and poverty of the people.In the seven years since the collection of taxes in the canton of Montreuil-sur-Mer has been reduced by three-quarters, M. Villeret, then Director-General of Finances, has repeatedly referred to the situation in that canton in comparison with other cantons.

Such was the state of the country when Fantine returned.No one in my hometown remembers her anymore.Fortunately, the gate of M. Madeleine's factory still resembled a friend's face.She went there to look for work, and was placed in the women's workshop, a skill so foreign to Fantine that it was impossible for her to be very skilled, so that what she could get from a day's work was only enough for her. living expenses, but the problem was finally solved.