"
"You needn't be alarmed," I answered. "I am a judge of diamonds."
"I shan't be satisfied," Amelia murmured, "till Charles has seen
them."
We went up to the hotel. For the first time in her life I saw Amelia
really nervous as I handed the stones to Charles to examine. Her
doubt was contagious. I half feared, myself, he might break out into
a deep monosyllabic interjection, losing his temper in haste, as he
often does when things go wrong. But he looked at them with a smile,
while I told him the price.
"Eight hundred pounds less than their value," he answered, well
satisfied.
"You have no doubt of their reality?" I asked.
"Not the slightest," he replied, gazing at them. "They are genuine
stones, precisely the same in quality and type as Amelia's necklet."
Amelia drew a sigh of relief. "I'll go upstairs," she said slowly,
"and bring down my own for you both to compare with them."
One minute later she rushed down again, breathless. Amelia is far
from slim, and I never before knew her exert herself so actively.
"Charles, Charles!" she cried, "do you know what dreadful thing
has happened? Two of my own stones are gone. He's stolen a couple
of diamonds from my necklet, and sold them back to me."
She held out the riviere. It was all too true.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59