What a burden it is! It's terribly
on my mind. I wonder how I could have done it. The mere thought makes
me shiver. To turn thief! Me, a common thief!"
"Stealing is common enough, and it don't matter greatly, so long as
you're not found out. And you did it so cleverly too; with such a
nerve. Not a soul could have equalled you at the business. You might
have been at it all your life," said the maid, with affectionate
familiarity, that of a humble performer paying tribute to a great
artist in crime.
She was a decent, respectable-looking body too, this confederate whom
I concluded was masquerading as maid. The very opposite of the younger
woman (about her more directly), a neatly dressed unassuming person,
short and squat in figure, with a broad, plain, and, to the casual
observer, honest face, slow in movement and of no doubt sluggish
temperament, not likely to be moved or distressed by conscience,
neither at the doing or the memory of evil deeds.
Now the conductor came up and civilly bowed them towards their
carriage, mine, which they entered at the other end as I left it
making for the restaurant, not a little interested in what I had
heard.
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