He opened the mouth of the purse and let a handful of the contents trickle into the palm of his right hand-- all were pieces of good French gold. From the size of the purse and its bulging proportions Captain Jacot concluded that it must contain a small fortune. Sheik Amor ben Khatour dropped the spilled gold pieces one by one back into the purse. Jacot was eyeing him narrowly. They were alone. The sergeant, having introduced the visitor, had withdrawn to some little distance-- his back was toward them. Now the sheik, having returned all the gold pieces, held the bulging purse outward upon his open palm toward Captain Jacot.
? ? ? ? "Achmet ben Houdin, my sister's son, MIGHT escape tonight," he said. "Eh?"
? ? ? ? Captain Armand Jacot flushed to the roots of his close-cropped hair. Then he went very white and took a half-step toward the Arab. His fists were clenched. Suddenly he thought better of whatever impulse was moving him.
? ? ? ? "Sergeant!" he called. The non-commissioned officer hurried toward him, saluting as his heels clicked together before his superior.
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