Les Misérables Volume I Book 5 Chapter 2 - Madeleine

In which a quietly good man named Father Madeleine transforms the languishing industrial town of M. sur M. through his diligent enterprise and unyielding morality, bringing employment, education, and care to the humblest inhabitants whilst shunning honours and societal acceptance. Amid whispers and doubts about his origins and ambitions, he emerges at last as the reluctantly accepted mayor, stirred by the earnest appeals of the people he serves.