"Haha! You want more children, you hussy, although you are a widow with five! Beware of that devil of a cobbler! He's hard on women, in spite of his piety. A pinch of snuff, cobbler?"
"There is really a herb then...."
"Who said it was a herb? Did I say so? No; it's an organic substance. Let me tell you, all substances—nature contains about sixty—are divided into organic and inorganic substances. This one's Latin name is cornuticus secalias; it comes from abroad, for instance from the Calabrian Peninsula."
"Is it very expensive, master?" asked the cobbler.
"Expensive!" ejaculated the joiner, manipulating his plane as if it were a carbine. "It's awfully expensive!"
Falk had listened to the conversation with great interest. Now he started; he had heard a carriage stopping underneath the window, and the sound of two women's voices which seemed familiar to him.
"This house looks all right."
"Does it?" said an older voice. "I think it looks dreadful."
"I meant it looks all right for our purpose. Do you know, driver, whether any poor people are living in this house?"
"I don't know," replied the driver, "but I'd stake my oath on it."