NovelGuide: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame: Novel Summary: Book II Chapter 5

Select a Chapter:

Book II Chapter 5

Summary
Gringoire regains consciousness in the gutter. While his senses clear he ponders the identity of the second man and tries to imagine why the archdeacon Frollo would condone such an act. Soon, however, the cold mud impresses upon him the need to find warmth and shelter. Before he can rise, however, he sees a band of young rogues, known as gamin, run into the street laughing and shouting and dragging a shapeless pack. They cry out that the old-iron seller has just died and they've stolen his straw mattress to make a bonfire. Without seeing Gringoire they throw the mattress directly upon him and prepare to set it ablaze. Using all his strength Grigoire rises from the ground throws back the mattress and flees. The gamin, believing it to be the ghost of the dead man, flee as well. The author conveys the humorous fact that the next day the mattress was taken up by the clergy and carried to Sainte-Opportune's church where it was displayed as an artifact of a miracle.