It did belong to the bears of Berne; seventy thousand francs in gold, the rest in silver.

The silver is on the top of the coach, the gold in the bottom of the coupe.

Isn't that so?
You see how well informed we are." At the words "bottom of the coupe" Madame de Montrevel gave another cry of terror; she was about to come in contact with men who, in spite of their politeness, inspired her with the most profound terror.
"But what is the matter, mother, what is the matter ?" demanded the boy impatiently.
"Be quiet, Edouard; be quiet!" "Why must I be quiet ?" "Don't you understand ?" "No." "The coach has been stopped." "Why?
Tell me why?
Ah, mother, I understand." "No, no," said Madame de Montrevel, "you don't understand." "Those gentlemen are robbers." "Take care you don't say so." "What, you mean they are not robbers?
Why, see they are taking the conductor's money." Sure enough, one of the four was fastening to the saddle of his horse the bags of silver which the conductor threw down from the imperial.
"No," repeated Madame de Montrevel, "no, they are not robbers." Then lowering her voice, she added: "They are Companions of Jehu." "Ah!" cried the boy, "they are the ones who assassinated my friend, Sir John." And the child turned very pale, and his breath came hissing through his clinched teeth.
At that moment one of the masked men opened the door of the coupe, and said with exquisite politeness: "Madame la Comtesse, to our great regret we are obliged to disturb you; but we want, or rather the conductor wants, a package from the bottom of the coupe.

Will you be so kind as to get out for a moment?
Jerome will get what he wants as quickly as possible." Then, with that note of gayety which was never entirely absent from that laughing voice, he added, "Won't you, Jerome ?" Jerome replied from the top of the diligence, confirming these words.
With an instinctive movement to put herself between the danger and her son, Madame de Montrevel, while complying with that request, pushed Edouard behind her.

That instant sufficed for the boy to seize the conductor's pistols.
The young man with the laughing voice assisted Madame de Montrevel from the coach with the greatest care, then signed to one of his companions to give her an arm, and returned to the coach.
But at that instant a double report was heard.