He left the bar, whistling an air, while the fair Martha returned to her accounts, and wondered indignantly whether his last remark was a compliment or otherwise. The conclusion she came to was that it was otherwise, and she retired to bed in a very wrathful frame of mind. CHAPTER XIV A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE Madame Midas, as may be easily guessed, did not pass a very pleasant night after the encounter with Villiers. Her head was very painful with the blow he had given her, and added to this she was certain she had killed him. Though she hated the man who had ruined her life, and who had tried to rob her, still she did not care about becoming his murderess, and the thought was madness to her. Not that she was afraid of punishment, for she had only acted in self-defence, and Villiers, not she, was the aggressor. Meanwhile she waited to hear if the body had been found, for ill news travels fast; and as everyone knew Villiers was her husband, she was satisfied that when the corpse was found she would be the first to be told about it. But the day wore on, and no news came, so she asked Archie to go into Ballarat and see if the discovery had been made. ‘’Deed, mem,’ said Archie, in a consoling tone, ‘I’m thinkin’ there’s na word at all. Maybe ye only stapped his pranks for a wee bit, and he’s a’ richt.’ Madame shook her head. ‘I gave him such a terrible blow,’ she said, mournfully, ‘and he fell like a stone over the embankment.’ ‘He didna leave go the nugget, onyhow, ye ken,’ said Archie, dryly; ‘so he couldna hae been verra far gone, but I’ll gang intil the toun and see what I can hear.’ There was no need for this, however, for just as McIntosh got to the door, Vandeloup, cool and complacent, sauntered in, but stopped short at the sight of Mrs Villiers sitting in the arm-chair looking so ill. ‘My dear Madame,’ he cried in dismay, going over to her, ‘what is the matter with you?’ ‘Matter enow,’ growled McIntosh, with his hand on the door handle; ‘that deil o’ a’ husband o’ her’s has robbed her o’ the nugget.’ ‘Yes, and I killed him,’ said Madame between her clenched teeth. ‘The deuce you did,’ said Vandeloup, in surprise, taking a seat, ‘then he was the liveliest dead man I ever saw.’ ‘What do you mean?’ asked Madame, leaning forward, with both hands gripping the arms of her chair; ‘is--is he alive?’ ‘Of course he is,’ began Vandeloup; ‘I--’ but here he was stopped by a cry from Selina, for her mistress had fallen back in her chair in a dead faint. Hastily waving for the men to go away, she applied remedies, and Madame soon revived. Vandeloup had gone outside with McIntosh, and was asking him about the robbery, and then told him in return about Villiers’ movements on that night. Selina called them in again, as Madame wanted to hear all about her husband, and Vandeloup was just entering when he turned to McIntosh. ‘Oh, by the way,’ he said, in a vexed tone, ‘Pierre will not be at work today.’