him wholly on guard.

"Have you no scars?" mischief in her eyes.

"Not yet;" and the force of his gaze turned hers aside. "Yet I must
not forget my conscience; 'tis pretty well battered up."

She greeted this with laughter. She had heard men talk like this
before. "You have probably never done a mean or petty thing in all
your life."

"Mean and petty things never disturb a man's conscience. It's the big
things that scar."

"That's a platitude."

"Then my end of the conversation is becoming flat."

"Confess that you are eager to return to the great highways once more."

"I shall confess nothing of the sort. I should like to stay here for a
hundred years."

"You would miss us all very much then," merrily. "And Napoleon's
treasure would have gone in and out of innumerable pockets!"

"Do you really and truly believe that we shall bring home a single
franc of it?" facing her with incredulous eyes.

"Really and truly. And why not? Treasures have been found before.