Part II, Book 5, Chapter 6
The Beginning of a Mystery
Valjean and Cosette land in a big lonely garden on the other side of the wall; the place feels neglected and unwelcoming, with a big bleak building adding to the grim feeling of the entire place. The entire vibe is so sepulchral that in my head I heard a church bell and Sarah Brightman singing, “You were once my one companion,” before realizing I was in the wrong musical.
The two fugitives huddle quietly inside the garden, and can hear the patrol searching for them on the other side of the wall, with Javert audibly cursing. I have to point out that Javert does not seem very smart—Jean Valjean is known for his freaky ability to scale walls (because he is a cat), and Javert is well aware of the many times he has done so!
If I were chasing a guy who is noted for his ability to climb walls, and I successfully cornered him into a dead end against a wall with no other way out, and said wall-climber was not there by the time I got to the dead end, it would be the most reasonable assumption in the world that he had climbed the wall. Javert is clearly not the brightest lamplight in the box and I guess it only makes sense that a fascist would rise to such a high position within the police despite being a total dum-dum.
After some time, Javert and the soldiers leave, and everything is quiet.
Suddenly, the pure sound of an angelic chorus rings out in the lonely darkness. I did not see this coming and this is such an unexpected development that I wondered momentarily if Hugo had started incorporating magical/supernatural elements into this story.
Cosette and Valjean instinctively fall to their knees. I honestly don’t know what else you would do if you’ve just scaled an eighteen-foot wall and escaped a manhunt in the nick of time and landed in a derelict garden, and then suddenly heard a heavenly choir coming out of nowhere. Falling to your knees feels like the only logical thing to do!
After some time, the singing stops, and all is quiet. That’s where the chapter ends, and I have to know what is going on!!
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