At this moment the driver, a negro wearing a straw hat with a very broad brim, came out of the shop, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat. He bowed with even more deference than the generality of the people. The strangers were not elegantly or genteelly dressed, but they wore good clothes, and would have passed for masters of vessels, so far as their costumes were concerned.
"Is this your carriage?" demanded M. Rubempré.
"Yes, sir," replied the man in good English.
"How far you must go to get into Nassau?" inquired the detective, mangling his English enough to suit the occasion.
"Two miles, sir."
"How much you make pay to go to Nassau in ze carriage?"
"Fifty cents."
"Feefty cents; how much money was zat?"
"Arn't you Americans?"
"Non!" replied M. Rubempré with energy. "We have come from ze France; but I was been in London, and I comprehend ze money of Eengland."