Pactolus claim began to pay. Mrs Villiers became mixed up in mining
matters, and bought and sold on 'Change with such foresight and
promptitude of action that she soon began to make a lot of money.
Stockbrokers are not, as a rule, romantic, but one of the fraternity
was so struck with her persistent good fortune that he christened
her Madame Midas, after that Greek King whose touch turned
everything into gold. This name tickled the fancy of others, and in
a short time she was called nothing but Madame Midas all over the
country, which title she accepted complacently enough as a forecast
of her success in finding the Devil's Lead, which idea had grown
into a mania with her as it already was with her faithful henchman,
McIntosh.

When Mr Villiers therefore arrived in Ballarat, he found his wife
universally respected and widely known as Madame Midas, so he went
to see her, expecting to be kept in luxurious ease for the rest of
his life. He soon, however, found himself mistaken, for his wife
told him plainly she would have nothing to do with him, and that if
he dared to show his face at the Pactolus claim she would have him
turned off by her men. He threatened to bring the law into force to
make her live with him, but she laughed in his face, and said she
would bring a divorce suit against him if he did so; and as Mr
Villiers' character could hardly bear the light of day, he
retreated, leaving Madame in full possession of the field.

He stayed, however, in Ballarat, and took up stockbroking--living a
kind of hand-to-mouth existence, bragging of his former splendour,
and swearing at his wife for what he was pleased to call--her
cruelty. Every now and then he would pay a visit to the Pactolus,
and try to see her, but McIntosh was a vigilant guard, and the