e Quay, the
seals on his strong boxes, his ships moored to the Goulette, a guard
round his palace, seemed to speak of a sort of civil death, of a
disputed succession of which the spoils would not long remain to be
shared.

There was not a defender, nor a friend, in this voracious crowd; the
French colony itself appeared satisfied with the fall of a courtier who
had so long monopolized the roads to favour. To attempt to snatch this
prey from the Bey, excepting by a striking triumph at the Assembly, was
not to be thought of. All that de Gery could hope for was to save some
shreds of his fortune, and this only if he hurried, for he was expecting
day by day to learn of his friend's complete ruin.

He set himself to work, therefore, hurried on his business with
an activity which nothing could discourage, neither Oriental
discursiveness--that refined fair-spoken politeness, under which is
hidden ferocity--nor coolly indifferent smiles, nor averted looks,
invoking divine fatalism when human lies fail. The self-possession of
this southerner, in whom was condensed, as it were, all the exuberance
of his compatriots, served him as well as his perfect knowledge of
French law, of which the Code of Tunis is only a disfigured copy.

By his diplomacy and discretion, in spite of the intrigues of
Hemerlingue's son--who was very influential at the Bardo--he succeeded
in withdrawing from confiscation the money lent by the Nabob some
months before, and to snatch ten millions out of fifteen from Mohammed's
rapacity. The very morning of the day on which the money was to be paid
over, he received from Paris the news of the unseating of Jansoulet. He
hurried at once to the Palace to arrive there before the news, and on
his return with the ten millions in bills on Marseilles secure in his
pocket-book, he passed young Hemerlingue's carriage, with his three
mules at full gallop. The thin owl's face was radiant. De Gery
understood that if he remained many hours at Tunis his bills ran the
risk of being confiscated, so took his place at once on an Italian
packet which was sailing next morning for Genoa, passed the night on
board, and was only easy in his mind when he saw far behind him white
Tunis with her gulf and the rocks of Cape Carthage spread out before
her. On entering Genoa, the steamer while making for the quay passed
near a great yacht with the Tunisian flag flying. De Gery felt greatly
excited, and for a moment believed that she had com