'Auctioneer?' hazarded Mr Villiers, looking at this keenly. Pierre
stared at him blankly; his comprehension of English was none of the
best, so he did not know what auctioneer meant. However, he saw that
Villiers did not understand, so he rapidly sketched an altar with a
priest standing before it blessing the people.
'Oh, a priest, eh?--a minister?' said Villiers, nodding his head to
show he understood. 'She's taken the nugget to show it to a
minister! Wonder who it is?'
This was speedily answered by Pierre, who, throwing down the pencil
and paper, dragged him outside on to the road, and pointed to the
white top of the Black Hill. Mr Villiers instantly comprehended.
'Marchurst, by God!' he said in English, smiting his leg with his
open hand. 'Is Madame there now?' he added in French, turning to
Pierre.
The dumb man nodded and slouched slowly back into the hotel.
Villiers stood out in the blazing sunshine, thinking.
'She's got the nugget with her in the trap,' he said to himself;
'and she's taken it to show Marchurst. Well, she's sure to stop
there to tea, and won't start for home till about nine o'clock: it
will be pretty dark by then. She'll be by herself, and if I--' here
he stopped and looked round cautiously, and then, without another
word, set off down the street at a run.
The fact was, Mr Villiers had come to the conclusion that as his
wife would not give him money willingly, the best thing to be done
would be to take it by force, and accordingly he had made up his
mind to rob her of the nugget that night if possible.
Pages:
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128