"The good woman brought him the money. Cambremer took it, said: 'All right!' and went home. The whole town heard about that. But here's something that I know, and that other people only suspect in a general way. He told his wife to clean up their room, which was on the ground floor; he made a fire on the hearth, lighted two candles, placed two chairs on one side of the fireplace and a stool on the other. Then he told his wife to put out his wedding clothes and to get into her own. When he was dressed, he went to his brother and told him to watch in front of the house and tell him if he heard any noise on either of the beaches, this one or the one in front of the Guérande salt marshes. When he thought that his wife was dressed, he went home again, loaded a gun, and put it out of sight in the corner of the fireplace. Jacques came at last; it was late; he had been drinking and playing billiards till ten o'clock; he had come home by the point of Carnouf. His uncle heard him hailing, crossed to the beach in front of the marsh to fetch him, and rowed him to the island without a word. When he went into the house, his father said to him: "'Sit down there,' pointing to the stool. 'You are before your father and mother, whom you have outraged, and who have got to try you.' "Jacques began to bellow, because Cambremer's face was working in a strange way. The mother sat as stiff as an oar. "'If you call out, if you move, if you don't sit on your stool as straight as a mast, I'll shoot you like a dog,' said Pierre, pointing his gun at him. "The son was dumb as a fish; the mother didn't say anything. "'Here,' said Pierre to his son, 'is a paper that was wrapped round a Spanish gold-piece; the gold-piece was in your mother's bed; nobody else knew where she had put it; I found the paper on the water as I was coming ashore; you gave this Spanish gold-piece to Mother Fleurant to-night, and your mother can't find hers in her bed. Explain yourself!' "Jacques said that he didn't take the money from his mother, and that he had had the coin ever since he went to Nantes. "'So much the better,' said Pierre. 'How can you prove it?' "'I had it before.' "'You didn't take your mother's?' "'No.' "'Will you swear it by your everlasting life?' "He was going to swear; his mother looked up at him and said: "'Jacques, my child, be careful; don't swear, if it isn't true. You may mend your ways and repent; there's time enough still.' "And she began to cry. "'You're neither one thing nor the other,' he said, 'and you've always wanted to ruin me.' "Cambremer turned pale, and said: "'What you just said to your mother will lengthen your account. Come to the point! Will you swear?' "'Yes.' "'See,' said Pierre, 'did your piece have this cross which the sardine-dealer who paid it to me had made on ours?' "Jacques sobered off, and began to cry.