Contempt or ignorance?

Contempt of court breaks the law, I was reflecting. But my companion was also thinking about the question. “Have I ever broken the law?”, she asked to confirm my question. She laughs, “Well, maybe, but not knowingly!” We were enjoying a cool glass of Muscadet in the timid afternoon sunshine. A fragrant scent of rotten leaves and humid soil drifted from the end of the garden, on the wings of the westerly wind. “But I can tell you a funny story, about regulations, and contempt for them. Do you know Jean Paulhan?”

The name was not unknown to me, but just then I could not place him on my mental map. “Oh,” she said with a charming smile, “I am sure you know him by his preface to Histoire d’O! He was one of the leading lights of French literary criticism, during the 40’s and 50’s. Anyway, he hailed from southern France, and told the story of the flowers of Tarbes (Les Fleurs de Tarbes), it’s the title of his treatise of French literature criticism, and the reason is this. 

Flowers and regulations

Tarbes has, or had before the war, a beautiful municipal garden in the center of town, full of lovely flower beds. One day, a visitor to the park was arrested, holding a bunch of flowers, as he was leaving the park. The authorities thought he had been picking up flowers from the beds. He probably did not and claimed that he had brought the flowers with him as he was walking through the park. The net outcome was that the authorities decided that it would be, from then on, strictly forbidden to bring flowers to the park.

For Paulhan, it was indicative of what he called terror in literature (la terreur dans les lettres) by analogy with the erroneous interpretation of text and style by critics, but for me, it’s a good example of why some people may hold many laws and regulations in contempt.

Contempt or not?

“Ok, but you haven’t answered my question: have you ever unintentionally broken the law?”, I said. A soft aroma of coffee was coming out of the kitchen, we moved back inside the house. I could see my friend was annoyed by the question. Indeed, how would we know, unless there was something like a fine, or some sanction, applied as a result of the infraction?

“I don’t know,” she said at last. “I guess it’s possible, and if so, it was probably trivial. I had my share of parking fines and that sort of things. You have noticed that around this city, there are more and more traps to catch the population! Not surprising most people hold these rules in total contempt!”

We retired to the lounge with our cups. I almost regretted to have insisted on an answer, but then she said, out of the blue: “Of course you know something about this, don’t you? You’ve cheated enough not that long ago!” I was suddenly worried. What did she know? She was a good friend, even a bit more than that, but what did she know about my business?

We were quiet for a few seconds. She stretched her shapely legs, and smiled at me with what I would describe as a knowing smile. I was uncertain as to what to say, or do. I could not believed she knew anything about my last attempt at tax avoidance. Indeed I did not know myself what the outcome would be. The Revenue was capable of changing their mind, to the extent I could be accused of evading tax. It was all so complicated, more so that the flowers of Tarbes.

“Don’t worry”, she said after a while, “I may be a tax inspector, but I have no mission regarding small fry like you: I only deal with the real cheats, the serious vultures!”

Inspired by WP daily prompt, Fandango’s One Word Challenge of February 15, and Three Things Challenge #M605