"'Oh, stupid!' said the woman. 'Pick up my sacks carefully and be off."
"Then the other man who had already picked up the larger sack, laughed.
'Better than rubies,' he said. 'You are always wise, my woman!'"
"And then the other man picked up the other sack and he laughed too, and the woman held hand to them and whined, 'Please give me some money for these poor little refugees are starving!'
"At that they all roared, and hurried on."
Ivan paused. "That was all they said," he added. "It doesn't help, does it?"
The girl Evelyn leaned forward. "Say it again, Ivan," she said excitedly. "Say just what the woman said."
Ivan, repeated the words.
Evelyn whispered them after him. Then a wild cry broke from her lips. She turned to her father who sat holding the package containing the fatal manuscript. She seized his arm and shook him. So great was her emotion that she could not say the words she wanted.
"Father, father, don't you see it now!" she cried. "Oh, oh, father! Oh, what shall we do? Oh, my darling little sister!" she gasped, and the tall boy ran forward and seized her hands.
"Control yourself, Evelyn," he cried. "I never saw you act like this.
Tell me what it is."