t is his one difficulty. He wants the money. I wish I could
only get some money from somewhere."

Captain Flett lapsed into silence, as though, acting in his
customary fashion, he was contriving in his mind how best to secure
a pilot boat for Jack Paterson. Presently the old Jew edged nearer
to us and said to me:

"Did I hear you say you vant money, mine young friend?"

"That's a thing a good many folk want," said I. "Why?"

"Vy? Oh, just because I tink you have got someting vort a great lot
of money. Dot little black stone you showed me; long time ago, you
know."

Here Captain Flett interposed, speaking with Isaac in Dutch. A long
conversation followed in that language, during which Flett asked me
for my viking's stone. The old Jew took the talisman in his long
fingers. He regarded it as though he were familiar with its
structure, twisting it round and screwing the thin band of gold
that encircled it. Then a very wonderful thing happened. He gave
the stone a few taps upon the table and the metal ring fell off.
The stone dropped open in two pieces like a shell, and in the heart
of it appeared a bright clear gem that sparkled in the light of the
oil lamp hanging above us. I looked on in dumb amazement.

This stone, Jarl Haffling's talisman, that I had carried about with
me so long, fondly believing that it had the power to protect me
from all perils, was it no talisman after all? I doubted it now.
Whatever dangers I had gone through had been surmounted by no aid
from this supposed amulet, but simply by my own endeavours. But
useless as it no doubt was in this particular, I could well imagine
that the bright diamond which had been so cunningly enclosed within
its hard stony shell might be of considerable value.

That it was of great value I soon discovered from what the old
Hebrew informed me. He took from his inner pocket a tiny pair of
scales, and proceeded to weigh the glittering jewel in the balance.
Then he made some calculations on a dirty piece of paper, speaking
as he did so in Dutch with Captain Flett.

"D'ye want to sell the thing, Halcro?" said the skipper. "He says
he canna buy it himsel', but he kens its value. He's the agent of a
diamond merchant in Amsterdam."

I hesitated to answer, reflecting upon my need of money. My mother
was poor; I could help her by selling this thing, and then, if I
should get for it more than sufficed for her immediate needs, was
there not this pilot boat to buy? I migh