midnight
Very luckily , the notary found letters which might be useful , letters from du Croisier and the Kellers . Then he took a place in a diligence which was just about to start ; and by dint of fees to the postilions , the lumbering vehicle went as quickly as the coach . His two fellow-passengers on the journey happened to be in as great a hurry as himself , and readily agreed to take their meals in the carriage . Thus swept over the road , the notary reached the Rue du Bercail , after three days of absence , an hour before midnight . And yet he was too late . He saw the gendarmes at the gate , crossed the threshold , and met the young Count in the courtyard . Victurnien had been arrested .