7.Sometimes he listened with dignified interest to details of her businesses, nodding approval at her sagacity, and at other times he called her somewhat dubious tradings scavenging, highway robbery and extortion.
8.She indeed inclined to the idea that, in some way, the French were connected with the small thefts, which were ascertained facts, and the burglaries and highway robberies, which were rumours.
9.But the expression " highway robbery" refers to previous times, where people traveled and it wasn't safe to travel;you might be robbed by someone as you were traveling down the road.