One of the patterns Hugo tells us that Valjean had fallen into was visiting a particular church in the evening. Outside this church he would often encounter a particular beggar and offer this beggar alms. Ome day, when handing this beggar a few sous he locked eyes with him in what seemed like a very unusual way for a beggar. Something about the face alarmed Valjean, and he could not get the idea out of his head that this was Javert!
A day later he returned to see the beggar again, and this time he seemed like a normal beggar, so somewhat assuaged he returned home and assumed it was his own mind playing tricks on him. Either way, we see here that the weight of hiding his identity is beginning to take it’s toll. The tension between everyone being a potential threat or a potential opportunity for love and compassion is escalating.
The suspicion mounts as one evening he hears someone enter the building and walk toward his door. It sounds like the footsteps of a man and he is frightened. With all of the lights out and Cosette told to make no sound, he lays in bed, full of terror, sure that this man is right outside his door.
The next morning he here’s the man leaving and peers through his keyhole - cudgel in hand, the man’s silhouette bears a striking resemblance to Javert. Is it really him?! Valjean is terrified. The chief tenant seems to delight in the situation, asking if Valjean had heard a man the night before. She tells him it is the new tenant, a “monsieur Dumont” if she recalls correctly.
This is enough for Valjean - at dusk that evening he departs with Cosette, and it sure seems like he won’t be coming back.
This marks the end of our current book, and likely this relative time of peace shared by Valjean and Cosette.