Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 734, January 19, 1878

In the bustling harbor streets of 19th‑century Marseilles, a struggling locksmith and his wife eke out a precarious existence, their modest tenement threatened by unpaid rent and taxes. Their son, born frail and mocked by neighbors, survives against the odds thanks to the devoted care of his grandmother, whose nurturing steadies his fragile health and fuels a budding intellect.

Despite his diminutive stature, the child quickly reveals a sharp mind at the local lyceum, delighting teachers with clever jokes and an uncanny knack for slipping out of trouble. As he matures, he turns his restless energy toward law and politics, dreaming of a place on the national stage. A modest literary prize offers his first taste of ambition, and he engineers a crafty ruse to secure recognition, hinting at the determination that will shape his future path.