THREE PLANS.
It took Anton but a few strides to get out of the forest, at the other
side away from the hut. Here, on a neatly-made road, stood a caravan;
and by the side of the caravan two men. These men could not speak a
word of English, and even their French was so mixed with dialect that
little Maurice, who by this time knew many words of real French, did
not understand a word they said. This, however, all the better suited
Anton's purpose. He had a short but impressive conversation with the
man who seemed to have the greatest authority. Maurice was then given
over into this man's care. Anton assured him that he would return as
quickly as possible with Joe. And then the bad man plunged once more
into the depths of the forest.
Yes; Anton was most truly a bad man, and bad now were the schemes at
work in his evil heart. He saw once more a hope of getting that money
which he longed for. He would use any means to obtain this end. After
the children had escaped from him in Paris, he had wandered about for
nearly a week in that capital looking for them. Then he had agreed to
join a traveling caravan which was going down south. Anton could assist
in the entertainments given in the different small towns and villages
they passed through; but this mode of proceeding was necessarily slow,
and seemed all the more so as week after week went by and he never got
a clew to the lost children; he was beginning to give it up as a bad
job--to conclude that Cecile and her party had never gone south after
all. He had indeed all but completed arrangements to return to Paris
with another traveling party, when suddenly, wandering through the
forest in the early morning, he came upon little Maurice D'Albert fast
asleep--his crushed violets under his pretty head. Transfixed with joy
and astonishment, the bad man stood still. His game was sure--it had
not escaped him.
He sat down by the child. He did not care to wake him. While Maurice
slept he made his plans.
And now, having given over Maurice to the owner of the caravan, with
strict directions not to let him escape, he was hurrying through the
forest to meet Joe. He wanted to see Joe alone. It would by no means
answer his purpose to come across Cecile or even indeed at present to
let Cecile know anything about his near vicinity.
Little Maurice's directions had been simple enough, and soon Anton came
in sight of the hut. He did not want to come any nearer. He sat down
behind an oak tree, and waited. From where he sat, he could watch the
entrance to the hut, but could not himself be seen.
Presently he saw Cecile and Joe come out. Toby also stood at their
heels. Cecile and Joe appeared to be consulting anxiously. At last they
seemed to have come to a conclusion; Cecile and Toby went one way, and
Joe another.
Anton saw with delight that everything was turning out according to his
best hopes; Cecile and Toby were going toward the village, while Joe
wandered in his direction. He waited only long enough to see the little
girl and the dog out of sight, then, rising from the ground, he
approached Joe.
The poor boy was walking along with his eyes fixed on the ground. He
seemed anxious and preoccupied. In truth he was thinking with
considerable alarm of little Maurice. Anton came very close, they were
almost face to face before Joe saw him.
When at last their eyes did meet Anton perceived with delight that the
boy's face went very white, that his lips twitched, and that he
suddenly leant against a tree to support himself. These signs of fear
were most agreeable to the wicked man. He felt that in a very short
time the purse would be his.
"Anton," said poor Joe, when he could force any words from his
trembling lips.
"Aye, Anton," echoed the man with a taunting laugh, "you seems mighty
pleased to see Anton, old chap. You looks rare and gratified, eh?"
"No, Anton, I'm dreadful, dreadful pained to see you," answered Joe. "I
wor in great trouble a minute ago, but it ain't nothink to the trouble
o' seeing you."
Anton laughed again.
"You ere an unceevil lad," he replied, "but strange as it may seem, I'm
glad as you is sorry to see me, boy; it shows as you fears me; as you
is guilty, as well you may think yerself, and you knows as Anton can
bring yer to justice. You shall fear me more afore you has done, Master
Joe. You 'scaped me afore, but there's no escape this time. We has a
few words to say to each other, but the principal thing is as there's
no escape this time, young master."
"I know," answered Joe, "I know as a man like you can have no
mercy--never a bit."
"There's no good a-hangering of me wid those speeches, Joe; I ha' found
you, and I means to get wot I can out o' you. And now jest tell me
afore we goes any further wot you was a-doing, and why you looked so
misribble afore I spoke to you that time."
"Oh!" said Joe, suddenly recalled to another anxiety by these words,
"wot a fool I am to stay talking to you when there ain't a moment to
spare. Little Maurice is lost. I'm terrible feared as little Maurice
has quite strayed away and got lost, and here am I, a-standing talking
to you when there ain't one moment to lose. Ef you won't leave me, you
must come along wid me, fur I'm a-looking fur little Maurice."
Joe now prepared to start forward, though his brain was still so
perturbed at this sudden vision of his enemy that he scarcely knew
where he was going, or in what direction to direct his steps. In a
couple of strides Anton overtook him.
"You ha' no call to fash about the little chap," he said; "and there
ain't no use a-looking fur him, fur I have got him."
"You have got little Maurice?" said Joe. "You have stole little Maurice
away from Cecile and me?"
"I found little Maurice asleep in the wood. I have him safe. You can
have him back whenever you pleases."
"I must have little Maurice. Take me to him at once," said Joe in a
desperate tone.
"Softly, softly, lad! You shall have the little chap back. No harm
shall happen to him. You and the little gal can have him again. Only
one thing: I must have that ere purse first."
"Oh! ain't you a wicked man?" said Joe, and now he flung himself full
length on the grass, and burst into bitter lamentations. "Oh! ain't you
the wickedest man in all the wide world, Anton? Cecile 'ull die ef she
can't get little Maurice back again. Cecile 'ull die ef she loses that
purse."
Joe repeated these words over many times; in truth the poor boy was
almost in a transport of grief and despair. Anton, however, made no
reply whatever to this great burst of terrible sorrow, and waited
quietly until the paroxysm had spent itself, then he too sat down on
the grass.
"Listen, Joe," he said. "'Tis no use a-blubbering afore me, or
a-screaming hout afore me. Them things affects some folks, but they
never takes no rises out o' me. I may be 'ard. Likely enough I am.
Hanyhow hysterics don't go down with me. Joe Barnes--as that's the name
wot you was known by in England--I'm _determined_ to get that 'ere
purse. Now listen. Wot I has to say is short; wot I has to say is
plain; from wot I has now got to say--I'll never go back. I lay three
plans afore you, Joe Barnes. You can choose wot one you like best. The
first plan is this: as you and Cecile keeps the purse, and I takes
Maurice away wid me; you never see Maurice, nor hears of him again; I
sell him to yer old master whose address I has in my pocket. That's the
first plan. The second plan is this: that Maurice comes back to his
sister, and _you_ comes wid me, Joe. I sells you once more to yer hold
master, and he keeps yer _tight_, and you has no more chance of running
away. This seems a sensible plan, and that 'ere little Cecile, as you
sets sech store by, can keep her purse and her brother too. Ef you does
this, Joe Barnes, there'll be no fear of Cecile dying--that's my second
plan. But the third plan's the best of all. You can get that 'ere purse
of gold. You get it, or tell me where to find it, and then you shall
have Maurice back. Within one hour Maurice shall be with you, and you
shall stay wid Cecile and Maurice, and I'll never, never trouble you no
more. I calls the last the neatest plan of all, lad. Don't you?"
Joe said nothing; his head was buried in his hands. Anton, however, saw
that he was listening.
"The last is the sensible plan," he said; and he laid his hand on the
lad's shoulder.
Joe started as though an adder had stung him. He threw off the defiling
hand, and moved some paces away.
"There ere the others," continued Anton. "There's the little chap
a-being beat and starved in London, and his little heart being hall
a-broken hup. Or _you_ can go back to the hold life, Joe Barnes; you're
elder, and can bear it better. Yer head is tough by now, I guess; a big
blow on it won't hurt you much; and you'll never see yer old mother or
yer brother--but never mind. Yer whole life will be spent in utter
misery--still, never mind, that ere dirty purse is safe; never mind
aught else."
"We han't got the purse," said Joe then, raising his haggard face.
"'Tis the gospel truth as I'm telling you, Anton. Cecile took the purse
to a lady in Paris to take care of fur her, and she is to keep it until
someone gives her a bit of paper back which she writ herself. I can't
give yer the purse, fur it ain't yere, Anton."
"The bit o' paper 'ull do; the bit o' paper wid the address of the
lady."
Joe groaned.
"I can't do it," he said. "I can't let Maurice go to sech a cruel
life--I can't, I can't! I _can't_ give hup the hope o' seeing my old
mother. I must see my old mother once again. And I can't steal Cecile's
purse. Oh! _wot shall I do_?"
"Look yere, lad," said Anton, more slowly and in a kinder tone, "you
think it hall well hover; one o' they three plans you must stick to.
Now I'm a-going away, but I'll be back yere to-morrow morning at four
o'clock fur my hanswer. You ha' it ready fur me then."
So saying Anton rose from the grass, and when Joe raised his face his
enemy was gone.