Eponine bent at the knees, and slowly lowered herself into the water. She was so scared: it brought her straight back to the winter beneath the bridge and the rats and the men and her dad and how she'd found herself stepping into the Seine, except for Azelma making her come back.

But she did it, lowering herself until she was comfortable enough to lie her head back and try to lift her legs from the floor. Without the life jacket, she never would have floated; beneath her, her legs thrashed. But the jacket kept her upper body above the water at least.

"Like - like this?" How could Courfeyrac be so calm? "Monsieur -" she coughed as water went over her face - "Monsieur, what do we do? The water will be above us as we lie, soon!"