Chapter Text
Not all the poor souls who inhabit this world are destined to live comfortably in the future, full of hope, grace and love. Luck smiles on a few and knows absolutely no justice or pity. Souls filled with light tend to perish almost more than other souls, and most often they are forced to exist in darkness. These included the escaped convict Jean Valjean. Poor Cosette was one of them.
Their destinies, as if sealed in heaven, were to be intertwined, and their souls were to be united. And this would have happened if the world had been a little more just. But cruelty and evil fate decided otherwise: Jean Valjean and Cosette were destined to part forever.
When they left the Inn of Thenardiers, they put themselves in great danger. Neither Jean Valjean nor Cosette made a sound as they moved in the silence and darkness. The simple pleasure of talking to each other was beyond them. Paris at night seemed to the ex-convict hostile, dangerous, gloomy and endless, entwined with thousands of streets, alleys, squares and boulevards. As he took each step, he was not so much afraid for himself as for Cosette: life without her was like being in the grave, and the mere thought of it was like the agony of death. So Jean Valjean was particularly attentive as he moved along the narrow streets of Paris. Clutching his daughter's fragile hand, he searched for the quietest, safest, and most unlit places — in other words, places where inspector Javert could not hide. But the haunting shadows moved at their heels: here and there Jean Valjean saw a police uniform, and here and there a terrible thunderous voice was heard.
The only escape for Jean Valjean and Cosette was the wall that blocked their path. It towered eighteen feet, and beyond it, on that happy side, you could finally breathe in peace. Jean Valjean, a master of climbing without ladders or hooks, but using only muscular strength, set to work. He was driven by fear and excitement, which usually creates a real storm in the soul of a person, which, in turn, can lead to great deeds. Jean Valjean could clearly hear voices approaching, and when he looked back over his own shoulder, he saw two policemen standing in the dead end of the street. He easily recognized them as Javert's assistants, and they recognized him as the escaped convict.
At that moment, for the third time, Jean Valjean saw a hideous, terrible, and inescapable abyss open before him: he was caught. The police were faster, smarter, stronger and more resilient. Grabbing him and twisting his arms, they clearly felt superior. Jean Valjean was too weak to fight. By doing so, he would endanger not only his own life, but Cosette's as well, and that could not be allowed.
Jean Valjean dropped his hands. He succumbed to a cruel fate.
- Do whatever you want with me, but for God's sake don't touch Cosette. It wasn't her fault.
The policemen looked at each other. In the midnight darkness, they could have been mistaken for twin brothers, only one seemed slightly wider than the other and had sharper features.
— What are you going to do with it? - the first one asked, looking skeptically at the small, frail girl who had cowered in a corner in fear.
At this moment, Jean Valjean heard loud, heavy, and hollow footsteps behind him. It was Javert, who had probably heard a voice so familiar and so hateful.
- Jean Valjean, - he said coldly, but there was triumph in his stern eyes.
- Inspector, - Jean Valjean managed only a weak nod. — Do you have pen and paper? I have a job to finish, and then I'll go wherever you want me to go.
- Hard labor.
- So be it.
Pen and paper were found in the prefecture of police. Under Javert's strict supervision, Jean Valjean dictated a letter to one of the secretaries. The content was as follows:
"Madame and Monsieur Thenardier! The money I send with this letter and Cosette is rightfully hers. I promised her mother at the time, as you know, to follow her, but I can't keep that promise. All the money attached to this letter was earned honestly, if that's what you're concerned about. The business of the factory was very profitable, and so I had six hundred thousand francs in my pocket. Use them for the good of Cosette and do not deny her anything. Let her eat the best food, wear the best clothes, and gain knowledge.
Best wishes, sir, for taking this poor child from you."
With these words Jean Valjean was silent. Before taking him away, he was allowed to say goodbye to Cosette. This farewell was both the most tender and the saddest thing that ever happened within the walls of the prefecture of Paris. Cosette, who had not yet come to regard Jean Valjean as her father, nevertheless felt for him that special love which only children have. Clutching the doll in her hands, she whispered:
- Bye, good sir.
- Goodbye, Cosette. Be a good girl, — replied Jean Valjean, and his once clear eyes were lost forever.
Inspector Javert volunteered to deliver Cosette, the letter, and the suitcase with the money to Montfermeil on his own. He wanted to see this case through to the end and see for himself that it was a fair outcome.
And Cosette, clutching the doll, did not even know where the ill-fated carriage was going. A young and innocent soul, just rescued from the clutches of darkness and ignorance, was going to be there again.