And Owen then stepped forward.
"You have received fifty louis to speak the truth to me," continued Dubois.
"Pardon, monseigneur," said Owen, who began to recover his composure; "I have not received them; they were promised to me, but—"
Dubois took a handful of gold from his pocket, counted fifty louis, and placed them in a pile on the table.
Owen looked at the pile with an expression of which one would have supposed his dull countenance incapable.
"Good," thought Dubois; "he is avaricious."
In reality, the fifty louis had always appeared very doubtful to Owen. He had betrayed his master with scarcely a hope of obtaining his reward; and now the promised gold was before his eyes.
"May I take them?" asked Owen, spreading his hand toward them.
"Wait a moment," said Dubois, who amused himself by exciting that cupidity which any but a peasant would have concealed; "we will make a bargain."
"What is it?" asked Owen.