Part I, Book 8, Chapter 2
Fantine Happy
So Fantine has just woken up, and is all expectant, waiting for someone to bring her little Cosette. Before Madeleine can do or say anything, the doctor just tells her matter-of-factly that Cosette is here but that Fantine can’t see her yet. When Fantine gets understandably worked up over this, the doctor points out that if she’s going to be all agitated and shouty there’s no way anyone is going to want to bring her child to her, so calm down. This doctor is so pragmatic I simply have to respect.
Fantine apologizes and calms down, and turns into the very model of a well-behaved patient, which is so funny to me because she is basically a toddler who just got disciplined. This doctor really knows what he’s doing—I mean, maybe not medically, because Fantine is somehow dying from touching snow, but he at least is a very effective babysitter.
While on her “I am the best behaved patient ever so you can bring me my child now” campaign, Fantine asks Madeleine how the journey was, how Cosette handled it, etc. while coughing heavily the entire time.
At this point the doctor has exited, leaving Madeleine and Sister Simplice—I would really love to know how the Nun Who Cannot Lie felt while the doctor shamelessly lied to Fantine—and both are saved from having to figure out how to answer Fantine’s highly specific questions by Fantine suddenly shushing them.
For there is a worker’s young daughter playing in the yard outside, singing as she frolics around, and Fantine, deep in her illness and doctor-instigated delusion, believes she’s hearing Cosette. Aha, so this is one of the seeds of “Come to Me”!
Fantine happily begins to chatter about her plans for the life she and Cosette shall soon have—this is heartbreaking both in its simplicity (she just wants to play with her in the garden, teach her to spell, and dress her in a little veil for her First Communion!) and in our knowledge that this will never come to be. This is also likely the happiest Fantine has ever been since being ghosted by a first-rate douchebag. Absolutely gutting stuff.
Fantine’s happy reverie of the future is cut short—Madeleine is shocked to see her suddenly look “ghastly,” sitting up and pointing to something behind him. He turns to see what she’s pointing at and sees…Javert.
Uh oh, I have a bad feeling about this.
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