d it to his wife, who fell down as if dead,
seeing her own writing. Cambremer said nothing, but he went to Croisic,
and heard that his son was in a billiard room; so then he went to the
mistress of the cafe, and said to her:--

"'I told Jacques not to use a piece of gold with which he will pay you;
give it back to me, and I'll give you white money in place of it.'

"The good woman did as she was told. Cambremer took the money and just
said 'Good,' and then he went home. So far, all the town knows that;
but now comes what I alone know, though others have always had some
suspicion of it. As I say, Cambremer came home; he told his wife to
clean up their chamber, which is on the lower floor; he made a fire, lit
two candles, placed two chairs on one side of the hearth, and a stool on
the other. Then he told his wife to bring him his wedding-clothes, and
ordered her to put on hers. He dressed himself. When dressed, he fetched
his brother, and told him to watch before the door, and warn him of any
noise on either of the beaches,--that of Croisic, or that of Guerande.
Then he loaded a gun, and placed it at a corner of the fireplace.
Jacques came home late; he had drunk and gambled till ten o'clock, and
had to get back by way of the Carnouf point. His uncle heard his hail,
and he went over and fetched him, but said nothing. When Jacques entered
the house, his father said to him,--

"'Sit there,' pointing to the stool. 'You are,' he said, 'before your
father and mother, whom you have offended, and who will now judge you.'

"At this Jacques began to howl, for his father's face was all distorted.
His mother was rigid as an oar.

"'If you shout, if you stir, if you do not sit still on that stool,'
said Pierre, aiming the gun at him, 'I will shoot you like a dog.'

"Jacques was mute as a fish. The mother said nothing.

"'Here,' said Pierre, 'is a piece of paper which wrapped a Spanish gold
piece. That piece of gold was in your mother's bed; she alone knew where
it was. I found that paper in the water when I landed here to-day.
You gave a piece of Spanish gold this night to Mere Fleurant, and your
mother's piece is no longer in her bed. Explain all this.'

"Jacques said he had not taken his mother's money, and that the gold
piece was one he had brought from Nantes.

"'I am glad of it,' said Pierre; 'now prove it.'

"'I had it all along.'

"'You did not take the gold piece belonging to your mother?'

"'No.'

"'Will you s