urt, or to the houses of any of the
princes of the blood, in which he had jewels of very great value.

It happened one day that, being to go to Versailles to wait upon the
Prince of ----, he came up into my chamber in the morning, and laid out
his jewel-case, because he was not going to show any jewels, but to get
a foreign bill accepted, which he had received from Amsterdam; so, when
he gave me the case, he said, "My dear, I think I need not carry this
with me, because it may be I may not come back till night, and it is too
much to venture." I returned, "Then, my dear, you shan't go." "Why?"
says he. "Because, as they are too much for you, so you are too much for
me to venture, and you shall not go, unless you will promise me not to
stay so as to come back in the night."

"I hope there's no danger," said he, "seeing that I have nothing about
me of any value; and therefore, lest I should, take that too," says he,
and gives me his gold watch and a rich diamond which he had in a ring,
and always wore on his finger.

"Well, but, my dear," says I, "you make me more uneasy now than before;
for if you apprehend no danger, why do you use this caution? and if you
apprehend there is danger, why do you go at all?"

"There is no danger," says he, "if I do not stay late, and I do not
design to do so."

"Well, but promise me, then, that you won't," says I, "or else I cannot
let you go."

"I won't indeed, my dear," says he, "unless I am obliged to it. I assure
you I do not intend it; but if I should, I am not worth robbing now, for
I have nothing about me but about six pistoles in my little purse and
that little ring," showing me a small diamond ring, worth about ten or
twelve pistoles, which he put upon his finger, in the room of the rich
one he usually wore.

[Illustration: THE JEWELLER IS ABOUT TO LEAVE FOR VERSAILLES

_And gives me his gold watch and a rich diamond which he had in a ring,
and always wore on his finger_]

I still pressed him not to stay late, and he said he would not. "But if
I am kept late," says he, "beyond my expectation, I'll stay all night,
and come next morning." This seemed a very good caution; but still my
mind was very uneasy about him, and I told him so, and entreated him
not to go. I told him I did not know what might be the reason, but that
I had a strange terror upon my mind about his going, and that if he did
go, I was persuaded some harm would attend him. He smiled, and returned,
"Well, m