A day or so after arrival

[gardienne]

[Eponine, having settled a little bit, has eventually gotten round to opening her book. Having never had one all to herself before, she settles down to practise her writing, quite oblivious that her writing could be seen by everybody else.]

My name is Éponine.

My name is Éponine Jondrette.

The Little Match Girl. The Little Match Girl.

It is a strang thing to write on the book, but per haps they think it is me.

They giv me matches.

I do not want to sell matches.

I had a bisckit today.

I will find a sossige and musturd tumorrow.

Comments

[gardienne]

How is that so?

[Eponine cackles to herself overJa'far's comments about her mother. Eponine had idolised her when she was little, and she still loves her now. But likes her? No .]

Perhaps you are right. She taught me well. She liked romances, my mother.

[under_the_wire]

[Ja'far will not be discussing his own parents...]

I needed to learn, so I did. A friend of mine needed me to become very good at it, so I had to. I would hate to think of what would become of our country if I wasn't around to do all the work.

[Like right now.]

[gardienne]

Perhaps they will find anuther. Or maybe your world will stop if you are so important. You must be to fancy such a thing. I do not think Paris will stop because I am not there. Does noone else read where you are from ?

[under_the_wire]

[It may sound like bragging now that he reads back over what he wrote, but it's really not too far from the truth. He's sure his subordinates will be able to shoulder some of his work but his biggest job is something no one else is capable of doing. Somewhere, he's sure, his esteemed king is doing something very stupid and he's not around to put a stop to it.]

I don't mean to sound as if I think I am superior to anyone else. I assume you come from a country that is not ruled by a king with a tendency to wander away from his throne on whim and get robbed blind by bandits because he's too drunk to realize what's going on.

[Stupid Sinbad.]

[gardienne]

I wish I did. My king is stupid enough to stay inside, for he knows someone wud slit his throwt if he came from his place. I think it is a good thing if that happens to him.

[under_the_wire]

I know nothing of the state of your country, but I can well believe that that's the case, especially if he rules based on birthright alone. For all that he's an idiot sometimes, my own king is a good and just ruler who earned his position through his own skill and the love of his people.

[gardienne]

I can not beleve it, Sir. Such a thing does not happen, I do not think. I have never heard of a just king. except he is called that by the aristocrasy. perhaps that is why you like your king too?

[under_the_wire]

Had we a traditional aristocracy, I don't think they'd like him much. His father was a poor ex-soldier, driven to his death by a government that oppressed and exploited its citizens to maintain its military might. Suffering through that is what drove him to found his own country and rule it fairly. I won't say he doesn't make decisions I don't agree with at times, but they're never made at the expense of our people.

[And at times he's seen him agonize over those decisions.]

Our little country is a bit different from most, certainly very different from any in our world. Most of them are very much like what you speak of, some even worse.