"No. He didn't tell me his name."
"Have you ever seen him since?"
"Never."
"Have you anything more to say?"
"No."
"Are you prepared to sign the written text of your confession?"
"Yes."
"Very well. I shall send for you in a week or two. Till then, not a word to anybody."
He saw her to the door and closed it after her. When he returned, Jean Louis was between the two old ladies and all three were holding hands. The bond of hatred and wretchedness which had bound them had suddenly snapped; and this rupture, without requiring them to reflect upon the matter, filled them with a gentle tranquillity of which they were hardly conscious, but which made them serious and thoughtful.
"Let's rush things," said Rénine to Hortense. "This is the decisive moment of the battle. We must get Jean Louis on board."