I thought the cooper would have fainted; but recovering
himself, he made two or three more strokes with his spade, and the box
was exposed to view. I seized on the instrument of his toil, and
suddenly changing my language, declared, in very good French, that he
was my prisoner.
"No resistance," I said, "or I will cleave your skull in two."
At this threat he seemed in a dream; but when he knew that he was
gripped by that iron hand which had subdued the most vigorous
malefactors, he was convinced that it was no vision. Moiselet was as
quiet as a lamb. I had sworn not to leave him, and kept my word.
During the journey to the station of the brigade of gendarmerie, where
I deposited him, he frequently cried out,
"I am done--who could have thought it? and he had such a simple look
too!"
At the assizes of Versailles, Moiselet was sentenced to six months'
solitary confinement.
M. Senard was overpowered with joy at having recovered his hundred
thousand crowns worth of diamonds. Faithful to his system of
abatement, he reduced the reward one-half; and still there was
difficulty in getting five thousand francs from him, out of which I
had been compelled to expend more than two thousand: in fact, at one
moment I really thought I should have been compelled to bear the
expenses myself.
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