ourselves, I have a hundred thousand francs in gold and diamonds in my
valise."

The friendly caution with which this imprudent confidence was received
by the two young men, seemed to reassure the German. The landlord
assisted in taking off one of the mattresses, and when all was
arranged for the best he bade them good-night and went off to bed.

The merchant and the surgeons laughed over the nature of their
pillows. Prosper put his case of surgical instruments and that of
Wilhelm under the end of his mattress to raise it and supply the place
of a bolster, which was lacking. Wahlenfer, as a measure of
precaution, put his valise under his pillow.

"We shall both sleep on our fortune," said Prosper, "you, on your
gold; I, on my instruments. It remains to be seen whether my
instruments will ever bring me the gold you have now acquired."

"You may hope so," said the merchant. "Work and honesty can do
everything; have patience, however."

Wahlenfer and Wilhelm were soon asleep. Whether it was that his bed on
the floor was hard, or that his great fatigue was a cause of
sleeplessness, or that some fatal influence affected his soul, it is
certain that Prosper Magnan continued awake. His thoughts
unconsciously took an evil turn. His mind dwelt exclusively on the
hundred thousand francs which lay beneath the merchant's pillow. To
Prosper Magnan one hundred thousand francs was a vast and ready-made
fortune. He began to employ it in a hundred different ways; he made
castles in the air, such as we all make with eager delight during the