Les Misérables Volume I Book 6 Chapter 1 - The Beginning of Repose

In which the tender ministrations of M. Madeleine bring a faint light of hope to the ailing Fantine, whose longing for her absent child radiates with a poignant purity amidst her declining health. Meanwhile, the obstinate Thénardiers withhold Cosette, casting a shadow over the fragile happiness that might soon blossom, as quiet struggles unfold beneath the surface of their modest town.