"Only that I have been a fool. I should have done better to have left her alone," said the marquis; "the queen's moving heaven and earth to find her."
"Ah well, sir!" said the man, "when the plague's over we can drop her at Somerset House again--she will be none the wiser. And Ben Davies's wife will keep her comfortable; she'll take no harm."
"But that does not answer my purpose," said Lord Orford. "I wanted to marry her, and I see very little likelihood of doing so under present circumstances."
"Oh, you can marry her right enough!" said his factotum. "You just tell her you did it for love, to save her life. Girls are soft. Now will you pay me the money? These sort of folk won't wait, you know."
"I suppose not," said the marquis, "but I have precious little coin; however, what I have you shall have." And, putting his hand in his pocket, he took out a bag of money and threw it on the table.
"Count and see how much there is," he said.
The dwarf emptied the bag on the table, and with his long thin fingers counted the gold.
"There are ten pieces missing," he said.
"Then you must find them," answered the marquis, "for I am sucked dry."
"I suppose I must put it down to your account," said the man; "it's already a pretty long one."