put in their place the banknotes, and from the bag took two or three crowns of six livres each, which, in all probability, formed the entire fortune of the miserable couple.
“ ‘There,’ said Caderousse; ‘and now, although you have wronged us of perhaps 10,000 francs, will you have your supper with us? I invite you with goodwill.’
“ ‘Thank you,’ replied the jeweller, ‘it must be getting late, and I must return to Beaucaire—my wife will be getting uneasy.’ He drew out his watch, and exclaimed, ‘ Morbleu! nearly nine o’clock—why, I shall not get back to Beaucaire before midnight! Good night, my friends. If the Abbé Busoni should by any accident return, think of me.’
“ ‘In another week you will have left Beaucaire,’ remarked Caderousse, ‘for the fair ends in a few days.’
“ ‘True, but that makes no difference. Write to me at Paris, to M. Joannes, in the Palais Royal, arcade Pierre, No. 45. I will make the journey on purpose to see him, if it is worth while.’
“At this moment there was a tremendous clap of thunder, accompanied by a flash of lightning so vivid, that it quite eclipsed the light of the lamp.
“ ‘See here,’ exclaimed Caderousse. ‘You cannot think of going out in such weather as this.’
“ ‘Oh, I am not afraid of thunder,’ said the jeweller.
“ ‘And then there are robbers,’ said La Carconte. ‘The road is never very safe during fair time.’
“ ‘Oh, as to the robbers,’ said Joannes, ‘here is something for them,’ and he drew from his pocket a pair of small pistols, loaded to the muzzle. ‘Here,’ said he, ‘are dogs who bark and bite at the same time, they are for