Being There

Chance’s new secretary Mrs. Aubrey reports that all the major news outlets want to feature Chance, but he refuses. A university wants to give Chance an honorary doctoral degree, but he responds that he does not need a doctor (123).

In Russia, Skrapinov is concerned that the Special Section cannot find any background information on Chance. They give him the codename “Blank Page” and infer that he is part of a secret organization planning to overthrow the US government. Back in the US, the President is having similar difficulty locating any background details on Chance. He speculates that Chance is a deep-cover Soviet spy but dismisses the idea, as those agents usually have well-documented fake identities.

A man running for office meets with his cohort to decide whom to choose as his running mate. They suggest Gardiner. They say that his lack of background is an asset; it will not create the potential for a scandal to arise from his past. At a gala event with EE, Chance escapes the noisy crowd and finds himself outside in a garden. All the impressions from his whirlwind experience as Chauncey Gardiner fall away, and he returns to his peaceful state of mind as a simple gardener.