and uttered a cry.

'You! you!' she shrieked, wildly, 'coward! dastard! Give me back
that nugget!' leaning out of the trap in her eagerness.

'I'll see you damned first,' retorted Villiers, who, now that he was
recognised, was utterly reckless as to the result. 'We're quits now,
my lady,' and he turned to go.

Maddened with anger and disgust, his wife snatched up the stick he
had dropped, and struck him on the head as he took a step forward.
With a stifled cry he staggered and fell over the embankment, still
clutching the box in his arms. Madame let the stick fall, and fell
back fainting on the seat of the trap, while the horse, startled by
the noise, tore down the road at a mad gallop.

Madame Midas lay in a dead faint for some time, and when she came to
herself she was still in the trap, and Rory was calmly trotting
along the road home. At the foot of the hill, the horse, knowing
every inch of the way, had settled down into his steady trot for the
Pactolus, but when Madame grasped the situation, she marvelled to
herself how she had escaped being dashed to pieces in that mad
gallop down the Black Hill.

Her head felt painful from the effects of the blow she had received,
but her one thought was to get home to Archie and Selina, so
gathering up the reins she sent Rory along as quickly as she could.
When she drove up to the gate Archie and Selina were both out to
receive her, and when the former went to lift her off the trap, he
gave a cry of horror at seeing her dishevelled appearance and the