and began to unlock and draw
out the drawers. A cry of wonder and of admiration burst from Robert
McIntyre, as his eyes rested upon case after case filled with the
most magnificent stones. The deep still red of the rubies, the clear
scintillating green of the emeralds, the hard glitter of the diamonds,
the many shifting shades of beryls, of amethysts, of onyxes, of
cats'-eyes, of opals, of agates, of cornelians seemed to fill the whole
chamber with a vague twinkling, many-coloured light. Long slabs of the
beautiful blue lapis lazuli, magnificent bloodstones, specimens of pink
and red and white coral, long strings of lustrous pearls, all these were
tossed out by their owner as a careless schoolboy might pour marbles
from his bag.

"This isn't bad," he said, holding up a great glowing yellow mass as
large as his own head. "It is really a very fine piece of amber. It
was forwarded to me by my agent at the Baltic. Twenty-eight pounds,
it weighs. I never heard of so fine a one. I have no very large
brilliants--there were no very large ones in the market--but my average
is good. Pretty toys, are they not?" He picked up a double handful of
emeralds from a drawer, and then let them trickle slowly back into the
heap.

"Good heavens!" cried Robert, as he gazed from case to case. "It is an
immense fortune in itself. Surely a hundred thousand pounds would hardly
buy so splendid a collection."

"I don't think that you would do for a valuer of precious stones," said
Raffles Haw, laughing. "Why, the contents of that one little drawer
of brilliants could not be bought for the sum which you name. I have a
memo. here of what I have expended up to date on my collection, though
I have agents at work who will probably make very considerable additions
to it within the next few weeks. As matters stand, however, I have
spent--let me see-pearls one forty thousand; emeralds, seven fifty;
rubies, eight forty; brilliants, nine twenty; onyxes--I have several
very nice onyxes-two thirty. Other gems, carbuncles, agates--hum!
Yes, it figures out at just over four million seven hundred and forty
thousand. I dare say that we may say five millions, for I have not
counted the odd money."

"Good gracious!" cried the young artist, with staring eyes.

"I have a certain feeling of duty in the matter. You see the cutting,
polishing, and general sale of stones is one of those industries which
is entirely dependent upon wealth. If we do not support it, it