"Let me put it about thy neck, my dear! Why dost thou draw back? It is but a plain gold cross and chain such as any woman may wear; take it!"
"Never, Paul," replied the woman's voice passionately. "Never will I wear stolen goods. Oh, my husband!—" And here her voice broke, and she went on sobbingly, "thou art breaking my heart and spoiling my life and thine own. Think how happy we were only a short time ago, before the evil days of thy friendship with Jean Michel and his companions! Why not be content with honest labour, instead of living in fear and remorse as we must? For this is now the third time that thou hast returned from a bad night's work, bringing me gifts which I can but refuse as accursed things."
Paul laughed a little hard laugh.
"The things I bring home are but a little love-token for thee, Claudine. The rest of our booty finds its way to the smelting-pot of our Hebrew friends in the town, and thenceforth tells no tales. And as for my safety, wife, no fears. We work in crape masks, and we cover our tracks with skill. The only danger is now and then from our accomplices."
"And how so?" questioned Claudine.
Then the man told his wife how he and Jean had been joined by Renard and his lads on the previous night, and how, at the last moment, the boys had refused to do their master's bidding, so that Renard and they had been ordered off as worse than useless for the job they had in hand.
"And the danger is," added Paul, "lest that dirty old rascal or one of the brats should carry some story about us to the police, just out of spite. As it was, we had a great deal of needless trouble. Had the boys been content to enter and open to us, all would have been so simple, so easy. But since they refused, we were forced to break in, and this made noise, and some of the household were roused, so that we could not get all we had hoped; and this, after our precautions, and our clever poisoning of the dog, was too bad! Ah!" added Paul fiercely. "Could I but lay hands on those two little rascals, I would teach them to disobey again!"
"Did they then refuse to enter and open to thee and thy companions, Paul?" asked the woman.
"Yes, they said they would not go, and even the threats of their master availed not; and we could not use force for fear of an outcry."
"Tell me, what like were the lads?" inquired Claudine. "Were they small or big? French or—"