Vaillant never returns to work in New Mexico. He comes back to recover from illnesses, to see Latour, but he works in the mountain mining camps from Colorado to Utah. Twice his carriage rolls into a gorge; the second time this happens, Vaillant breaks his thigh bone, which makes him lame for the remainder of his life.
Vaillant visits with Latour one last time. He tells his friend, "to fulfill the dreams of one's youth; that is the best that can happen to a man." Latour says Vaillant has been a better servant of God than he@ — that he deserves a constellation in his crown. They bless each other and say goodbye.
