Therefore, he argued, no
self-respecting highwayman would rob a man like Will Cummins--the merest
hint that property belonged to him would be sufficient to protect it. He
had waxed eloquent over the matter.
He was now appalled to think how his argument, though insincere, had
been refuted. That Mamie had spoken those fatal words was not a ruse of
his but an inexplicable accident. How could he ever see the girl again?
And yet, in this one respect he was innocent, and he wished she might
know it. Besides, he was man enough to sympathize with her in her awful
predicament. With what horror she must be thinking of her part in the
tragedy! There was considerable generosity in his nature, and he
actually debated, criminal though he was, whether he might not better
let Darcy keep the loot and stand by Mamie.
The girl or the gold? Is it surprising that the decision of J. C. P.
Collins was similar to that of other Californians? Similar to Cummins',
for example? He decided to make sure of the gold first and to think
about the girl later. With six or eight thousand dollars in the bank he
would be a more valuable friend than a poor man could be.
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