‘It’s only I, my friend,’ said Gaston, in French, crossing over to the other bed and sitting on it.  ’Come here; I wish to speak to you.’

Pierre rose from his sleeping place, and, stumbling across the room, stood before Gaston with downcast eyes, his shaggy hair all tossed and tumbled by the contact with the pillow.  Gaston himself coolly relit his cigarette, which had gone out, threw his straw hat on the bed, and then, curling one leg inside the other, looked long and keenly at Pierre.

‘You saw Madame’s husband to-day?’ he said sharply, still eyeing the slouching figure before him, that seemed so restless under his steady gaze.

Pierre nodded and shuffled his large feet.

‘Did he want to know about his wife?’

Another nod.

‘I thought so; and about the new nugget also, I presume?’

Still another nod.

‘Humph,’ thoughtfully.  ’He’d like to get a share of it, I’ve no doubt.’

The dumb man nodded violently; then, crossing over to his own bed, he placed the pillow in the centre of it, and falling on his knees, imitated the action of miners in working at the wash.  Then he arose to his feet and pointed to the pillow.

‘I see,’ said M. Vandeloup, who had been watching this pantomime with considerable interest; ’that pillow is the nugget of which our friend wants a share.’

Pierre assented; then, snatching up the pillow, he ran with it to the end of the room.

‘Oh,’ said Gaston, after a moment’s thought, ’so he’s going to run away with it.  A very good idea; but how does he propose to get it?’

Pierre dropped his pillow and pointed in the direction of the Black Hill.

‘Does he know it’s up there?’ asked Vandeloup; ’you told him, I suppose?’ As Pierre nodded, ’Humph!  I think I can see what Mr Villiers intends to do—­rob his wife as she goes home tonight.’

Pierre nodded in a half doubtful manner.

‘You’re not quite sure,’ interrupted M. Vandeloup, ’but I am.  He won’t stop at anything to get money.  You stay all night in town?’

The dumb man assented.

‘So do I,’ replied Vandeloup; ’it’s a happy coincidence, because I see a chance of our getting that nugget.’  Pierre’s dull eyes brightened, and he rubbed his hands together in a pleased manner.

‘Sit down,’ said Vandeloup, in a peremptory tone, pointing to the floor.  ‘I wish to tell you what I think.’

Pierre obediently dropped on to the floor, where he squatted like a huge misshapen toad, while Vandeloup, after going to the door to see that it was closed, returned to the bed, sat down again, and, having lighted another cigarette, began to speak.  All this precaution was somewhat needless, as he was talking rapidly in French, but then M. Vandeloup knew that walls have ears and possibly might understand foreign languages.