The Invention of Hugo Cabret Part 2, Chapter 10 Summary

A Train Arrives in the Station

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  • The Station Inspector leads him back to his office, where he opens a cage and throws Hugo inside. Uh… really? This guy has a cage in his office? Sketchy much?
  • Hugo sits there, wishing that Isabelle would arrive, bobby pin in hand.
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  • Poor Hugo sits in a corner of the cage, looking scared and cold.
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  • After a while, the Station Inspector returns with a couple of policeman who are ready to take Hugo back to the police station for questioning.
  • As the Station Inspector opens the door to the cage, Hugo spots his opportunity and makes a dash for it.
  • He makes his way through the crowd but trips, and—uh oh—he falls right onto the train tracks as a train is coming into the station.
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  • The train's coming in—fast.
  • The front of the train has smoke billowing around it. It's coming closer and closer.
  • And it’s even closer now. We can almost see the wheels.
  • And it’s even closer now, so that all we can see is the very bottom of the train. This is going to get ugly. When did this turn into a horror novel?
  • Suddenly, a hand yanks Hugo off of the train tracks by the collar of his jacket just as the train is about to hit him.
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  • The station Inspector is holding him again, and the policemen take out their handcuffs.
  • Hugo is terrified and in pain—after all his hand is still all bandaged up and injured—and he can’t take it anymore.
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  • Blackness. Just blackness.
  • Then, through the blackness, we see some faint stars and moons.
  • The stars and moons glow brighter against the dark background.
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  • When Hugo comes to he sees a bunch of stars and moons, which are on the cape that Georges Méliès is wearing.
  • Isabelle gives Hugo a cup of water and together, she and the old man stop the Station Inspector from arresting Hugo.
  • Hugo tells the Station Inspector that his uncle is dead, and that he’s been taking care of the clocks ever since. Then he tells Papa Georges that he dropped the automaton and that it’s broken again.
  • But Papa Georges assures him that they’ll fix it, and they walk home together.
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  • Sporting his awesome, glowing magician's coat, Papa Georges leads Isabelle and Hugo towards home.
  • Hugo smiles. Home sounds nice.
  • On the next page, we see the large bold words: “SIX MONTHS LATER.”
  • Then we see Hugo again, except this time he has a nice haircut and neater clothes. Looks like someone’s grown up a little.