whom the gentlemanly instinct still survived.

'Not at all; not at all,' retorted Mr Wopples, with a wink.
'Business, my boy, business. Always have a good house first night,
so must go into the highways and byways for an audience. Ha!
Biblical illustration, you see;' and with a gracious wave of his
hand he skipped lightly down the path and disappeared from sight.

It was now getting dark; so Mr Villiers went on his own way, and
having selected a mining shaft where he could hide the nugget, he
climbed up to the top of the hill, and lying down under the shadow
of a rock where he could get a good view of Marchurst's house, he
waited patiently till such time as his wife would start for home.

'I'll pay you out for all you've done,' he muttered to himself, as
he lay curled up in the black shadow like a noisome reptile. 'Tit
for tat, my lady!-tit for tat!'




CHAPTER XII

HIGHWAY ROBBERY


Dinner at Mr Marchurst's house was not a particularly exhilarating
affair. As a matter of fact, though dignified with the name of
dinner, it was nothing more than one of those mixed meals known as
high tea. Vandeloup knew this, and, having a strong aversion to the