Les Misérables Volume III Book 8 Chapter 21-22

In which the indefatigable Javert leads a midnight raid upon a den of ruffians, managing to impose order and capture amidst a tumult of threats and defiance, save for one elusive prisoner who vanishes in the shadows. In which thereafter a lone, ragged child, lighthearted despite the bitter night and heavy absence of his kin, wanders street corners with a curious mixture of song and cheeky banter, his presence a faint but poignant whisper on the city's cold breath.