Jack Harkaway and his Sons Escape from the Brigands of Greece | Page 9

I tell you the cause."
"I have no thought for the pleasures of these fools," said Hunston,
gruffly; "I only think of business."
"I too."
"And yet you are going to dance, Captain Mathias."

"For business reasons, solely," said the Greek.
"Ho ho!"
"My partner is positively bristling with diamonds," said the brigand,
significantly.
Hunston was interested immediately.
"Diamonds?"
"Aye! diamonds; and such diamonds, too. There is one as big as a nut, I
swear."
"I must see this lady."
"You shall."
"Where is she to be seen?"
"Come with me," said the captain.
Away they went, squeezing through the crowds of dancers and maskers,
until they came to the smaller ball-room, where a lady stood in
conversation with a big man, admirably got up as a knight of the olden
time.
The lady Hunston recognised at a glance, from the description which
Mathias had given of her jewels.
Her finely-rounded arms were encircled by bracelets, set with the
richest diamonds, that matched a necklet of priceless worth apparently.
She wore a tiara, too, of the same costly making and setting.
The dance began.
It was a waltz.

Now the gallant Mathias acquitted himself to perfection in the dance,
carrying his fair and richly-attired partner through the crowded room
without getting at all jostled by the dancers.
Hunston followed their movements with the greatest possible interest,
and as they shot past him for the third time round the room, he
contrived to take from the Greek captain's hand one of the lady's
bracelets which he had with some dexterity removed.
The next round he was less successful.
As they shot past, the brigand's hand was outstretched, but Hunston
missed it, and a glittering object dropped to the floor. Hunston stooped
to recover it, when--
"The lady has dropped something," said a voice in his ear.
"What lady?" he demanded, recovering himself quickly,
"The contessa."
"Ah! I see. But was it the contessa?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It is the lady dancing with your half-brother."
"Eh!"
Hunston started a little after these words.
They sounded very unpleasantly in his ear.
He had evidently been associated with Mathias by the speaker.
Now the latter was a strange-looking little being.

A stunted man, with broad, square shoulders, and got up to represent
the description which Victor Hugo has given us of his creation of
Quasimodo.
"That is the contessa?" said Hunston, recovering his presence of mind.
"Yes."
"I am very glad of it, for I shall be able to restore this to its proper
owner."
"Of course."
Hunston arose, and with a slight inclination of the head, crossed the
room, as if in search of the contessa.
The dwarf regarded him eagerly as he went.
"That's a rum one," he said to himself. "He means to pocket the
contessa's bracelet. What a swindle! I thought there was something
more devilish about him than his dress."
* * * * *
Hunston fled precipitately to the gardens.
Close by the spot where he had previously met his companions in crime,
there was a man awaiting him with a big bundle.
"Matteo, is it you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good; give me the other dress out. Quick! I must change, and be back
before my absence can be noticed."
As he spoke, he had already torn from the hands of the man Matteo a
pair of trunks of blue cloth slashed with amber silk, and quick as an eye
could wink, he was into them.

And then he fastened on a similarly coloured mantle.
"Tell me, Matteo, does that change me?"
"Yes, perfectly."
"Good! take this."
"What, jewels?"
"Hush! hear all, see all, and say nothing. Away with you, now."
"Yes. Where to?"
"Back to the mountains, where we can always guard what we ourselves
have made."
"True."
Just then there was a commotion in the ball-room, and a voice was
heard to cry out--
"The contessa has lost her richest diamonds and other precious stones.
There are robbers here. No one must leave the grounds."
"By Heaven!" ejaculated Hunston; "we are lost."
CHAPTER IV.
HUNSTON'S ADVENTURE--MOLE IN A MAZE--HE MEETS AN
EVIL SPIRIT-- GROSS OUTRAGE ON HIS WOODEN
LEGS--MATHIAS IN TROUBLE-THE ASSASSIN'S KNIFE.
Quasimodo, who had detected one of the devils, was Magog Brand.
The audacity of the fearless Greek had carried him through so far, but
Quasimodo had spoilt him at last.
A number of gentlemen in the company began to inquire very minutely

into the affair.
Prominent amongst them was Harkaway.
He and Jefferson, prompt to act as ever, inquired into the circumstances
of this gross outrage, and then it was elicited that the depredator was
seen last in diabolical costume.
"A devil!" ejaculated one of the company. "Of course, I saw the man
myself."
"I too," said another.
"Yes, he wore a red feather in