its surface. No blow, however great, will
break it--it merely forces its way into the material of the hammer,
however hard the hammer may be. No extremity of either heat or cold
affects it in any degree, it is the same when in the most powerful
electric arc as it is when immersed in liquid helium."

"How about acids?"

"That is what I am asking myself. Osnomians aren't much force at
chemistry. I'm going to try to get hold of another one, and see if I
can't analyze it, just for fun. I can't seem to convince myself that a
real atomic structure could be that large."

"No, it is rather large for an atom," and turning to the two girls, "How
do you like your solitaires?"

"They're perfectly beautiful, and the Tiffany mounting is exquisite,"
replied Dorothy, enthusiastically, "but they're so awfully big! They're
as big as ten-carat diamonds, I do believe."

"Just about," replied Seaton, "but at that, they're the smallest Dunark
could find. They have been kicking around for years, he says--so small
that nobody wanted them. They wear big ones on their bracelets, you
know. You sure will make a hit in Washington, Dottie. People will think
you're wearing a bottle-stopper until they see it shining in the dark,
then they'll think it's an automobile headlight. But after a few
jewelers have seen these stones, one of them will be offering us five
million dollars apiece for them, trying to buy them for some dizzy old
dame who wants to put out the eyes of some of her social rivals. Yes?
No?"

"That's about right, Dick," replied Crane, and his face wore a
thoughtful look. "We can't keep it secret that we have a new jewel,
since all four of us will be wearing them continuously, and anyone who
knows jewels at all will recognize these as infinitely superior to any
known Earthly jewel. In fact, they may get some of us into trouble, as
fabulously valuable jewels usually do."

"That's true, too. So we'll let it out casually that they're as common
as mud up here--that we're just wearing them for sentiment, which is
true, and that we're thinking of bringing back a shipload to sell for
parking lights."

"That would probably keep anyone from trying to murder our wives for
their rings, at least."

"Have you read your marriage certificate, Dick?" asked Margaret.

"Not yet. Let's look at it, Dottie."

She produced the massive, heavily-jeweled document, and the auburn head
and the brown one were very close to each other as they read togeth