Eponine freezes the moment his whisper sounds out. There's no point denying it: he has caught her red handed. So she bites quickly into the bread. If she is going to be beaten for her transgressions, she may as well have a full stomach to face it with.

"Generosity comes with a price, Sir," she whispers back, hoarsely. "Nothing is free, is it? What would you have charged me for your bread? Not a sous, perhaps, but my promise, or my word. Or you might have saved it until you need me. I don't have nowt to give, and I am hungry."

She pauses. "You might have half if you like? A midnight feast amongst the rats in the dungeon."