The same impression of Necessity, of a network of events woven by a will stronger than his own, haunted Landri throughout that evening, which he was able to pass alone, by good luck, M. de Claviers having gone to Grandchamp. He found it on his pillow when he awoke, still pursued by the image of that young man with whom he had played as a child, and whom he saw as he had left him, pale and motionless in the grasp of that horrible thought: "My father is a thief." As he said to himself at Saint-Mihiel, "If the Clermont train had only been late!" so he said now, "If only Louvet had not sent him to Rue de Solferino in order to help him along! If only his father had not gone to see him--merely by chance, perhaps!" But is there such a thing as chance in the world? The triviality of the incidents which had led up, in Pierre's case as well as in his own, to so terrible an ordeal, confounded Landri, especially as that ordeal was merited--by whom? By those of whom they were born. The vision of the common catastrophe which enveloped the son of the felonious steward and the son of the unfaithful wife, reached the point of absolutely terrifying him when, about half-past nine, his servant handed him a letter of which the handwriting alone made him tremble with excitement. He was preparing to pay Joseph another visit. He had changed his hypothesis since his visit to Quai de Béthune. He desired to talk with Joseph concerning the people who were most intimate with Jaubourg, remembering M. de Claviers' expression: "That smells of the club." As will be seen, he had entirely abandoned the idea of incriminating Chaffin. Now, this letter was from Chaffin! The young man's heart beat fast, as he tore the envelope open, and yet faster as he read these lines:-- "Landri, your old master implores you, in the name of the past, to receive him instantly. He has a favor to ask of you which will save more than his life, and he can perhaps do you a service which will wipe out many things." "Admit Monsieur Chaffin," he said to the valet; and almost in the same breath: "Do you know whether Monsieur le Marquis has returned from Grandchamp?" "Last night, Monsieur le Comte," the servant replied; and while he left the room to summon the discharged steward, Landri said to himself:-- "Do me a service? What if he were really the culprit? What if he has brought the other letters? What if I am able to get them and give them to _him_, in a few minutes?" And the mere thought of M. de Claviers' expression as he thanked him warmed his whole heart! [Footnote 7: "A physician should disclose neither what he has seen, nor what he has heard, nor what he has divined."] IX SEPARATION