“I should at least respect it more than you do,” said Lambert with scorn.  “Why can’t you be a man instead of a thing on two legs?  If you did die no one would miss you but cooks and provision dealers.”

Garvington gave him a vicious glance from his little pig’s eyes, and longed to be tall, and strong, and daring, so that he might knock him down.  But he knew that Lambert was muscular and dexterous, and would probably break his neck if it came to a tussle.  Therefore, as the stout little lord had a great regard for his neck, he judged it best to yield to superior force, and trotted along obediently enough.  Also he became aware within himself that it would be necessary to explain to Silver how he had come to betray him, and that would not be easy.  Silver would be certain to make himself extremely disagreeable.  Altogether the walk was not a pleasant one for the sybarite.

The Abbot’s Wood looked bare and lean with the leaves stripped from its many trees.  Occasionally there was a fir, clothed in dark green foliage, but for the most part the branches of the trees were naked, and quivered constantly in the chilly breeze.  Even on the outskirts of the wood one could see right into the centre where the black monoliths—­they looked black against the snow—­reared themselves grimly.  To the right there was a glimpse of gypsy fires and tents and caravans, and the sound of the Romany tongue was borne toward them through the clear atmosphere.  On such a day it was easy both to see and hear for long distances, and for this reason Chaldea became aware that the two men were walking toward the cottage.

The girl, desperately angry that she had been unable to bring Lambert to book, had sauntered back to the camp, but had just reached it when she caught sight of the tall figure and the short one.  In a moment she knew that Lambert and his cousin were making for Silver’s abode, which was just what she had expected them to do.  At once she determined to again adopt her former tactics, which had been successful in enabling her to overhear the conversation between Lambert and Lady Agnes, and, following at a respectful distance, she waited for her chance.  It came when the pair entered the cottage, for then Chaldea ran swiftly in a circle toward the monoliths, and crouched down behind one.  While peering from behind this shelter, she saw Silver pass the window of the studio, and felt certain that the interview, would take place in that room.  Like a serpent, as she was, the girl crawled and wriggled through the frozen vegetation and finally managed to get under the window without being observed.  The window was closed, but by pressing her ear close to the woodwork she was enabled to hear a great deal, if not all.  Candidly speaking, Chaldea had truly believed that Lambert had shot Pine, but now that he had disproved the charge so easily, she became desperately anxious to learn the truth.  Lambert had escaped her, but she thought that it might be possible to implicate his wife in the crime, which would serve her purpose of injuring him just as well.