"Madame?" Madame Thénardier turned around and saw Courfeyrac standing right there.

"What do you want, boy? I'm busy," Madame Thénardier spat.

"I was wondering if I could take the girls out for a walk. It's a lovely day," Courfeyrac said.

"What?! The inn needs cleaning!" Madame Thénardier shrieked.

"I already cleaned it. I just thought Éponine and Azelma would like the fresh air," and Cosette, but Courfeyrac didn't add that part.

"Fine, but be quick!" Madame Thénardier barked.

Courfeyrac slipped away and over to Cosette. "We're going for a walk." He went to tell Éponine and Azelma. Azelma said she didn't want to go outside and ran away. Éponine agreed to go.

"What if Madame Thénardier finds us?" Cosette asked him when they walked outside. Courfeyrac was holding Éponine and Cosette's hand.

"She gave us permission to go out," Courfeyrac said. "Don't worry, little bird."

"This is fun!" Cosette said. "Can we get something to eat?"

"I don't have any spare change…what's that lying on the ground?" Courfeyrac frowned. He walked over to the side of the street and knelt down to pick it up. It was a book.

Courfeyrac knew his basic reading and writing. His father and mother had taught him when he was younger. But it had been awhile.

"Can you read it?" Éponine asked, as he flipped through the pages.

"Sort of. It's been a while. But I can sound out the letters. And once I'm finished reading it, I can teach Cosette and you," Courfeyrac said.

"Really?" Cosette smiled. "I want to learn! I want to learn!"

Courfeyrac chuckled. "Not right away, I still need to relearn."

"What's the title?" Éponine asked.

"Les…Je-ux…des…Jeu-nnnn-ness…Garçons? Wait, it's Les Jeux des Jeunes Garçons," Courfeyrac smiled triumphantly. "Young Boys' Games! Sounds exciting, doesn't it?!"

"Did someone leave it here? Should we turn it in?" Cosette asked, scared.

Courfeyrac looked through the book, but couldn't find any identification on it. "If someone is looking for it, we'll give it back. Besides, it looks old and torn. They're probably trying to sell it."

"Why would they sell a book?" Cosette asked her big blue eyes wide.

"For money. You need money to survive," Courfeyrac said simply.

Éponine looked sadly at the rags Cosette and Courfeyrac were wearing, and the nice dress she had on. She remembered her parents yelling about something called debts and trying to make money. She frowned and Courfeyrac seemed to notice this.

He hugged both of the girls. "Enough talk about money, let's go home. We have to learn how to read this book!"