Gaston Leroux

“ At these words, the passengers on the road manoeuvred so as to keep closer around the diligence, gradually, without any apparent order. It was easy fat Patrice to see that the approaches to the carriage were well guarded. Those gentry were ready for all eventualities, with their hands in their pockets or under their smocks, doubtless concealing their weapons.
"Mr. Switch," said Patrice, creeping nearer to the driver, "it was I who spoke to M. de Meyrentin, the magistrate, this morning!" ”

“ As far as he could make out, the peasantry, from Saint-Martin to the Chevalet country, were all persuaded that the Three Brothers could do without accomplices of any sort.
Suddenly, the driver flung himself back, holding in his horses, which seemed ready to run away and were neighing madly:
"Oh, oh! " said Michel, in a low voice. "Look out! They're not far off now!"
"Hpw do you know?" asked Patrice, beginning to shake with fear.
"Look at my horses," said Switch. "I can't hold them. They always behave like that when the others are near: my horses sniff as if they smelt a wild animal! . . ." ”

“ Listen, M. Saint-Aubin: you can't understand yet. . . and I dare say I look very queer to you on the top of my cupboard. . . but there's nothing queer in life: everything is natural, everything is linked up. ”

“ They'd bag them all: the Three Brothers and the accomplice . . . and the rest, if more there were. . . the whole gang of them! . . . They would purge the district, in short! M. de Meyrentin would have embraced Patrice, had his magisterial dignity not prevented him. . . .
"And what do you say the accomplice' name is?"
"Something like. . . something like Bilbao."
"Bilbao? That's a Spanish name. . . . However, we'll see. . . . But, above all, not a word, young man, not, a word to anybody! . . . Why, you're a hero! A hero on the housetop, on the Vautrins' housetop! . . . But there! ”

“ There's mercy for the repentant sinner!'. . . No sooner said than done. Next day, Barrois takes the diligence to go back to Saint-Barthelemy and puts his trunk there, where you are, and then sits down beside me. Then, when we're near the Wolf Stone, he scrambles down and goes and leaves his gold pieces: three hundred and sixty francs in ten-franc pieces — the wolf didn't say in his note that they must be twenty-franc pieces — after which he gets up beside me again; and, on seaching Saint-Barthelemy, we take down the trunk! ”

“ We used to dance together, at Saint-Martin Fair, before she lost the use of her legs. She's no good at that now. Seems that, in her jargon, 'Switch' stands for 'the driver.' Perhaps it means that because of my whip: true enough, I always look as if I had a switch in my hand, same as a man who goes fishing. Is that all you want to know? Are you satisfied?"
Patrice was unable to reply at once. The wizened little fellow in the cap had scrambled up beside Michel and was whispering in his ear. ”

“ Blondel himself gave his half a franc like the others, when he took the Chevalet diligence, and made no secret of it either. . . . I must tell you that, at that time, he hadn't had any political troubles with the Three Brothers: between you and me, politics are enough to make the best of friends quarrel, aren't they? . . . Well, Blondel's friend, a certain Barrois, Désiré Barrois, started betting that he'd go past the Wolf Stone and never give his half a franc and that nothing would ever happen to him. ”

“ Well, the trunk, which was full when he put it on board, in front of all of us, at Saint-Barthelemy, was empty, oh, absolutely empty, not so much as a watch-chain left — I forgot to tell you that he travelled in watches and jewellery — and there may have been thirty thousand francs' worth when he started! What do you say to that? . . . ”

“ There's only one thing I can think of, which is that, in certain parts of the forest, where the trees form an arch over the diligence, somebody bent down from the top of that arch and took the trunk and put it back again a little farther on: there's your whole miracle for you! But it would take a very clever, very strong and very active person and one who knew every inch of the forest. ”

“ An ostler was opening the yard-gate when he reached the inn. At the same moment, Michel, the driver of the Chevalet diligence, came up, went straight to his little office in the yard and turned over the pages of the register containing the names of the passengers who had booked their seats. Patrice booked one for himself, inside. It would be time enough later to show himself on the top, when they were far away. ”

“ Patrice, who had retired to a corner of the room, left it only to take his seat in the diligence. When about to do so, he was alarmed at the crowd that filled the inside, especially as two more passengers appeared at that moment, carrying between them a small portmanteau which seemed to be very heavy. They packed themselves and the portmanteau into the coach and, strange to say, none of the occupants protested against the introduction of that luggage into a space already so well filled.
Patrice had come down from the step. Mme. Roubion called out to him:
"Why don't you go outside, M. Patrice? ”

“ Then Barrois climbs up to the stone and sees the treasure. There was quite twenty-five or thirty francs, which proved that the wolf hadn't passed for quite three days. Barrois picks it all up and puts the cash in his pocket: 'That'll cure you,' says he. 'Each time I come this way, I'll do the same. When you know that it's I who take it, you won't put any more in. ”