There’s an interesting moment at the end of this chapter where the boys are pushing the girls on a large swing and Tholomyès sings a bawdy song in Spanish about his soul being in his eyes because he can see their legs. In this state, with everyone caught up in the moment and being flirtatious and free, Fantine refuses to get on the swing. Some of Hugo’s “she was not like other girls” affect here is a bit too much, but this does once again point back to the fact that this was her first love and that she was in many ways a modest girl though she was completely taken with Tholomyès.
Here Favourite, the oldest of the four girls responds harshly to Fantine. “I don’t like people to give themselves airs” she says, as if Fantine’s behavior here is about being pretentious and snobby rather than an actual demonstration of modesty or just general anxiety about the loss of control.
This is one of those stories you wish you could just step into and address a character directly. Fantine needs real friends who are looking out for her. Favourite continues to demand to know what the surprise is (apparently it’s not just this trip) and something about Tholomyès responses that they have to wait adds a sense of foreboding. Even on a first read this whole section filled with love and frivolity has a tension underneath and it’s clear Fantine is the one most likely to be hurt in the process.