Les Misérables, Book 3: Fulfilling the Promise Made to the Dead Woman, Chapter 3 summary

What happens

1. Four travelers arrive, and Cosette worries about the empty cistern and the darkness outside.
2. Madame Thénardier accepts the remaining half-glass of water, briefly sparing Cosette an errand.
3. A peddler demands water for his horse, and Cosette falsely insists that she has already watered it.
4. Madame Thénardier finds Cosette hiding beneath the table and orders her to fetch water.
5. She gives Cosette money for bread, then sends her outside carrying an enormous empty bucket.

In this chapter

What to notice

The comparison stresses Cosette’s small size beside the equipment she must carry. It makes the burden of her task concrete.

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