Toussaint

Toussaint is the elderly, provincial, stammering servant who shares Jean Valjean and Cosette’s household. Rescued by Valjean from the hospital and poverty, she becomes part of the small domestic circle that moves with him from one hidden home to another. Her later transfer to Cosette’s service marks a quiet change in that circle: she is no longer needed by Valjean, but remains connected to the family through Cosette.

Identity and Household

Valjean brings Toussaint into his household after saving her from the hospital and poverty. The narrative describes her as old, provincial, and stammering, and says these three qualities had determined him to take her with him. She lives with Valjean and Cosette in the house he rents under the name M. Fauchelevent, forming the third member of their otherwise private household.

The Move from Rue Plumet

When Valjean leaves Rue Plumet with Cosette and Toussaint, the departure is managed to avoid attention. He takes only the small scented valise Cosette calls the inseparable one, since trunks would require movers and create witnesses. Toussaint manages, with difficulty, to obtain permission to pack some linen, clothes, and toiletries; Cosette takes only her stationery and blotter. Valjean waits until dusk to leave, giving Cosette time to write her note to Marius, and the three reach the Rue de l’Homme-Armé Residence after nightfall.

A Change of Place in the Family

By the time of Cosette’s marriage, Toussaint is no longer needed by Valjean: Cosette has inherited her and promoted her to lady’s maid. The change recasts Toussaint’s household position without severing her place in the family’s domestic life; she passes from serving Valjean to serving Cosette.

Later, after Valjean has stood outside the wedding celebration listening to its sounds, he returns alone to his rooms. The apartment is empty, and Toussaint is gone as well. Cosette’s bed has been stripped of its sheets and small personal belongings, while only Valjean’s bed remains made. The cleared rooms give physical form to the change in Toussaint’s role: the household she shared with Valjean has dispersed, and her service now belongs to Cosette’s new life.