Madame Midas -- that is what they call Mrs. Villiers, living in the Australian mining town of Ballarat. She once possessed enormous wealth, built up over the years by her loving father -- and then learned the least pleasant of lessons, marrying an Englishman whose true colors were soon unfurled at every nearby gambling and drinking establishment. But having left him behind, and establishing herself in Ballarat, she has found herself possessed of enough acumen to make a success of herself, and to earn to respect of all. Now into her world arrive two strangers -- a pair of Frenchmen who have made a desperate escape from prison on a tiny boat upon the sea, and who hope to find fortune and a new life on this rugged coast. The society of Ballarat may witness budding romance -- perhaps . . . and murder, most certainly. Fergus Hume (1859-1932) was author of novels of mystery and detection including The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, The Secret Passage and The Silent House.