"dead men tell no tales," but it is a mistake--they do, and to kill
him is dangerous. No, if we stun him we can go off with the nugget,
and then make our way to Melbourne, where we can get rid of it
quietly. As to Madame Midas, if her husband allows her to live--
which I think is unlikely--I will make our excuses to her for
leaving the mine. Now, I'm going up to M. Marchurst's house, so you
can meet me at the top of the hill, at eight o'clock tonight. Madame
will probably start at half-past eight or nine, so that will give us
plenty of time to see what M. Villiers is going to do.'

They both rose to their feet. Then Vandeloup put on his hat, and,
going to the glass, arranged his tie in as cool and nonchalant a
manner as if he had been merely planning the details for a picnic
instead of a possible crime. While admiring himself in the glass he
caught sight of the bunch of flowers given to him by Miss Twexby,
and, taking them from his coat, he turned round to Pierre, who stood
watching him in his usual sullen manner.

'Do you see these?' he asked, touching the white blossoms with the
cigarette he held between his fingers.

Pierre intimated that he did.

'From the plant of these, my friend,' said Vandeloup, looking at
them critically, 'I can prepare a vegetable poison as deadly as any
of Caesar Borgia's. It is a powerful narcotic, and leaves hardly any
trace. Having been a medical student, you know,' he went on,
conversationally, 'I made quite a study of toxicology, and the juice
of this plant,' touching the white flower, 'has done me good
service, although it was the cause of my exile to New Caledonia.