Captain Moreland was perfectly satisfied, for he fulfilled his contract with his employer to the letter.
There was no chance of his victim's being pardoned, and little of his escaping.
Practically, he was out of the way for five years, during which time Lord Maltravers could prosecute his plans with regard to Miss Vanhoosen.
Perhaps the hardships he would encounter in the mines might enfeeble his magnificent physique, and kill him before his sentence expired.
When Jack woke up in his cell he pressed his hand to his aching head and exclaimed:
"Where the deuce am I?"
He sat up and reflected.
"Seems to me," he continued, "I had a dream. Moreland invited me to dine; accused me of stealing his watch. Hang his impudence! I was arrested, and got five years in the mines. Was it a dream?"
A look at the cell convinced him that it was not so much a dream as a terrible reality.
The perspiration broke out all over him, and he began to feel terribly alarmed.