human
No doubt, assented the carpenter with a superior air.
gpt
I have some instruction, and can write a letter. But the jewels are paste. Half the Roman princesses wear sham jewellery nowadays. Do you suppose the Conti have not sold everything long ago? They had to live.
human
I do not see why, observed Toto.
gpt
Princes without money might as well be dead, an apoplexy on them all! Well, what do you propose to do? That old franc-eater of a Senator will not pay you for the girl's reputation, since she is not his daughter.
human
We must think, said Gigi.
gpt
Perhaps it would do no harm to write a letter to the Princess. The engineer is poor, of course. It is of no use to go to him.
human
All engineers are starving to death, Toto answered cheerfully.
gpt
I have seen them eat bread and onions and drink water, like us. Would they eat onions and dry bread if they could have meat? It is when they become contractors that they get money, by cheating the rich and strangling the poor. I know them. They are all evil people.
human
This is true, assented Gigi,
gpt
I have seen several, before this one.
human
This one is the eternal father of all assassins, growled Toto.
gpt
He talked of walling me up alive.
human
That was only a joke, to frighten you into holding your tongue, said Gigi.
gpt
And you did.
human
A fine joke! I wish you had been down there, hiding beside the gold statue instead of me, while two murderers sat by the little hole above and talked of walling it up for a week or ten days! A fine joke. The joke the cat makes to the mouse before eating it!
gpt
I can tell the Princess that the money must be sent In thousand-franc notes, said Gigi, who was not listening.
human
It cannot go to the post-office registered, because it must be addressed to a false name. Somebody must bring it to us.
gpt
And bring the police to catch us at the same time, suggested Toto contemptuously.
human
That will not do.
gpt
She must bring it herself, to a safe place.
human
How?
gpt
For instance, I can write that she must take a cab and drive out of the city on the Via Appia, and drive, and drive, until she meets two men--they will be you and me--one with a red handkerchief hanging out of his coat pocket, and the other with an old green riband for a band to his hat. I have an old green riband that will do. She must come alone in the cab. If we see any one with her, she shall not see us. She will not know how far out we shall be, so she cannot send the police to the place. It may be one mile from the gate, or five. I will write that if she does not come alone, the story will be printed in all the papers the next morning.
human
I did not know that you had been a brigand, he remarked pleasantly.
gpt
That is well thought. Only the Princess may not be able to get the money, and if she does, she had better bring it in gold. We will then go to America.