Les Misérables Volume III Book 3 Chapter 1

In which we enter an aristocratic salon of the early nineteenth century, presided over by the venerable M. Gillenormand, where Royalist dames and gentlemen mingle their sharp wit and spirited lamentations over the times with quaint traditions and gentle aristocratic pride. Here, amidst noble reminiscences and delicate social stratifications, a child of uncertain fate is observed with tender pity, hinting at the quiet dramas woven beneath the surface of this refined assembly.