A Powerful Man
- Mathilde dresses up like a peasant and visits Julien in prison. She refuses to believe that what Julien did was anything other than a noble act of vengeance.
- After the visit, Mathilde goes to the vicar-general, a powerful man in the local church, to see if he'll help her set Julien free.
- She informs him that her father is the Marquis de La Mole and that it would be in the vicar-general's best interest to have such a powerful friend in Paris.
- Wanting some leverage on Mathilde, the vicar-general tells her that he thinks Julien shot Madame de Rênal out of jealousy for her new lover (who doesn't exist).
- Basically, the man is being mean to Mathilde by suggesting that Julien is still in love with Madame de Rênal.