Then he did not care to meet Mme. Derize? Upset in their calculations, the clerks were astonished, when the Chief reappeared opportunely with his client. He showed every evidence of an unpleasant interview. Philippe Lagier, discovered, just as he was leaving, made a hurried movement of retreat and embarrassment which could not escape so keen an observer as Malaunay; but the young woman, after an imperceptible hesitation, came toward him. "Monsieur," she said, "I should very much like to speak with you. Will you go a short way with me?" "Willingly, Madame," he stammered confusedly. What had become of that self-possession which had never been known to fail him? Why this emotion on so ordinary an occasion? He recovered his composure at once and bowed to the lawyer and his clerks before he went out with the beautiful Mme. Derize. M. Tabourin had other things on his mind than to observe these fine distinctions. The door was hardly closed when he announced tragically to his colleagues: "The Derize case has fallen through!" "How? Why?" asked the clerks. "Mme. Derize withdraws her petition." Vitrolle, Lestaque and Dauras wore appropriate expressions of despair to fit the occasion. But the junior clerk dared to show unbounded joy and cried: "I've won!" The Chief, not understanding, stared at him and repeated mechanically: "Won?" "Certainly," explained the clerk insolently. "We had a bet on that case." "A bet?" "It is done in all offices. With nothing at stake what interest would we have in a case? Mme. Derize wanted a separation. Her husband demanded nothing--I bet on him. Nothing has happened--therefore I have won." Leaving M. Tabourin perplexed, he turned towards his comrades. "You each owe me a dinner at a restaurant of my own choice. Three dinners, what luck!" The others protested. The lawyer, surprised, but greedy, hesitated a second between the desire for an invitation and the dignity of his position. The latter won, and he grew very angry: "Take care, sir. You don't treat business matters seriously, and I have already noticed your dangerous inclination to pleasure. Did you not recently win another bet at the Café du Commerce on the longest time one could take to smoke a cigar? The longest time! At your age, I should have understood the shortest. You took more than an hour to do it. It was a sufficient cause, you know, to dismiss you. The interests of a business must be sacred to its employés, and I will not have my clerks betting on the loss of my cases." And with this speech, in which he gave vent to his anger (a good thing for him, as he needed some helpful exercise to aid his digestion)--he inconsiderately distributed some work to his mournful listeners. Saint-André's Square is two steps from the Quai de la République, where the Molay-Norrois lived. Instead of going toward the Isère, Elizabeth directed her steps toward the park. Philippe Lagier, who was silently walking beside her was surprised.