Le Cour de Miracles

Dante's seven levels of hell--that's what our poetic protagonist falls into running through (and finding himself lost in) the streets of Paris after recovering from Quasimodo's fist in his face.

Interesting note at this junction:  I'm nearly finished with book three of the novel (over 100 pages) and I realized that this book is not at all like the movies we see growing up.  Quasimodo has only been mentioned a couple times; this book is about Pierre Gringoire and the architecture of Paris, specifically Notre Dame cathedral.  As a matter of fact, I just finished reading an entire chapter dedicated to the architecture of Notre Dame cathedral and Hugo's passionate feelings as to the defacement put upon the structure via time, wars and sovereigns.  The next chapter is all about Paris's aerial view and city planning.  VERY different from my prior knowledge of the novel.

Pierre ends up in a nasty part of Paris--the Cour de Miracles, so named due to the beggars and thieves who use trickery to feign physical injuries to earn money.  Each night after a day of asking for alms these "tramps" living in the Kingdom of Slang take off their mutilated limbs and imbibe till morning.  Unfortunately for Pierre, they don't warm to bourgeoisie like him and so he finds himself in a sticky situation; he must perform a simple task.  He can either silently steal a coin from a dummy's pocket without making tiny bells ring (that have been sewn to his clothing) or he can be hanged.  Poor Pierre--he fails miserably and faces the noose.  A moment before his young life is about to be stifled, Esmeralda offers to marry him. 

Marry him? Apparently the custom amongst gypsies is to offer a dying man to any woman who will take him.  Lucky for him, Esmeralda was in a sympathetic mood; they "break the jug" and it falls to four pieces--the number of years they are to be wed.  She takes him home and he's dumbfounded, though still a man, and tries to "make good" on his rights as a husband.  She pulls a knife on him, he relents, asks for food and they talk of their families.  We learn that Pierre is an orphan taken in by an abbot for the cathedral and has not a penny to his name.  Finally, Esmeralda disappears and Pierre finally finds a place to sleep for the night atop an old dresser.