ned over,
pulling out a dirty looking little lump about the size of a marble.
At his shout all the other fellows from every claim within hearing
gathered round, until there was quite a crowd.

"'It's a fine stone,' said the man that turned it up.

"'Fifty carats if it's one,' cried another, weighing it in the palm of
his hand.

"I had my scales with me, so I offered to weigh it. It was sixty-four
and a half carats. Then they washed it and examined it. There was a
lot of whispering among them and then the one who had found it came
forward.

"'You deal, don't you, Mr. Girdlestone?' he said.

"'Now and then,' I answered, 'but I'm not very keen about it. I came
out here more for pleasure than business.

"'Well,' he said, 'you may go far before you see a finer stone than
this. What will you bid for it?'

"I looked at it. 'It's off-coloured,' I said.

"'It's white,' said he and one or two of his chums.

"'Gentlemen,' I said, 'it is not white. There are two shades of yellow
in it. It is worth little or nothing.'

"'Why, if it is yellow it makes it all the more valuable,' said a big
fellow with a black beard and corduroy trousers. 'A yellow stone's as
good as a white.'

"'Yes,' I answered, 'a pure yellow stone is. But this is neither one
nor the other. It's off-colour, and you know that as well as I.'

"'Won't you bid for it, then?' said one of them.

"'I'll bid seventy pounds,' I said, 'but not a penny more.'

"You should have heard the howl they all set up. 'It's worth five
hundred,' the fellow cried.

"'All right,' I said, 'keep it and sell it for that; good day,' and I
went off. The stone was sent after me that evening with a request for
my cheque, and I sold it for a hundred two days afterwards.[1] You see
old Van Harmer's training has come in very handy. I just tell you this
little anecdote to let you see that though I'm new in the work I'm not
to be done. Nothing in the papers here from Russia. I am ready, come
when it may. What would you do if there should be any hitch and the
affair did not come off? Would you cut and run, or would you stand by
your colours and pay a shilling or so in the pound? The more I think of
it the more I curse your insanity in getting us into such a mess.
Good-bye."

"He is right. It was insanity," said the old merchant leaning his head
upon his hands. "It seems unkind of the lad to say so when he is so far
away, but he was always plain and blunt. 'If