Javert opened his mouth to answer, but was forestalled as the bus began to move. His jaw clicked shut and his knuckles whitened noticeably against the sides of the seat, but his face remained relatively impassive, if somewhat paler than usual.

"Are all buses as insufferably loud as this one?" he managed, his voice nearly lost amidst the noise. When - if he got back to Paris, he'd never complain about the fiacres again.