The footmen bundled the Thernardiers out of the grand front door and unceremoniously threw them into the street. Thernardier landed face first in a large muddy puddle, and Mrs Thernardier ended up in an undignified heap, with her legs in the air and her skirts over her head.

'I thought that all went very well.' she growled. 'I told you it was a stupid idea.'

Thernardier coughed and spluttered and spat out a mouthful of filthy water.

'Shut up,' he rasped, between coughs.

'It's all very well to tell me to shut up, but what now?'

He grinned, and pulled the money Marius had given him (now slightly damp) out of his pocket and waved it at his wife. She snatched it and greedily counted the notes.

'Humph!' she snorted and thrust it back at her husband. 'Our Monsieur Marius is not very generous. That won't last too long, and what then?'

'We've got the inn.'

'Don't be stupid. The inn is nearly finished and you know it. Eponine's dead, Gavroche is dead…who's going to help us now?'

'They wouldn't have helped us, dead or alive.' Thernardier pointed out.

'There's no one worth sponging off,' she continued, ignoring him. 'I think it's time for a career change.'

'What were you thinking of doing, love?'

'Not me, you idiot! You!'

'Oh.'

Silence. The Thernardiers were thinking. Mrs Thernardier was thinking of how they would earn their bread. Or, preferably, how they would steal their bread. Thernardier was wondering what they would be having for dinner.

He hoped it would be beef.

'I've got an idea.' He said aloud. Mrs Thernardier nearly fainted from surprise.

'A what?'

'An idea. For a career.'

'Go on.' She sounded suspicious. He didn't have ideas. At least not good ones.

'Well,' he got to his feet, slightly wobbly, 'I could go into the church.'

Again, silence. Then Mrs Thernardier burst in raucous laughter. 'You! The church! Don't be ridiculous. They wouldn't have you. You'd have to, to behave yourself!'

'Not necessarily. I mean, look at what's-his-name…that pope…that one that had loads of girlfriends and money and wine and what-not…Alexander something or other…I could be like him.'

Mrs Thernardier sighed. 'No, 'cause he had loads of money to bribe people. Absolutely stacks of the stuff, he had. We've hardly got any.'

This was a fair point. Thernardier walked over to his wife and sat down. There was a nasty squelch as he sat in something unpleasant. Gloomy silence resumed.

'I've got it.' Thernardier broke the silence after several minutes.

'Go on then.' His wife sounded less than optimistic.

'Now,' he stood up unsteadily again, 'what job do you think would be perfect for a corrupt, unscrupulous gent like myself, who's prepared to con hardworking people out of money so as to award himself huge and completely undeserved bonuses while pleading poverty?'

'I don't know. Tell me.'

He grinned drunkenly. 'I, my love, am going to be bank manager.'