A spring cart was found possessing a minimum of springs, and it was settled that we should leave the same evening.
My mother returned to Villers-Cotterets to collect some clothing necessary for our journey, and, first and foremost, to extract the famous treasure of thirty louis from its hole.
We entered the house, still guarded by "the Queen"; then we went into the garden; we recognised the spot where we had buried our treasure, and I took a spade and set to work to dig.
At the third or fourth shovelful of earth I began to be uneasy. I looked at my mother, and I saw that she shared my anxiety.
There was no more sign of the box than if it had never existed. I returned to the guiding mark, I measured the steps; no—I had not made any mistake.
Then I set to work to dig all round my first hole,—all in vain; it was lost labour.
I returned to the middle hole, and continued digging deeper and deeper.
Suddenly I uttered a cry of delight. I had caught sight of the strings of the leather bag.
I pulled the strings, and the leather bag came up—but ... it was empty!
A hole had been made in the bottom of it.