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〃My dear Pugh； it seems to me that we show every promise of
becoming a couple of thieves。〃
〃Don't bracket me with you！〃
〃Not at all； you are worse than I。 It is you who decline to return
the contents of the box to its proper owner。 Put it to yourself；
you have SOME common sense； my dear old friend Ido you suppose
that a diamond worth more than a thousand pounds is to be HONESTLY
bought for ninepence？〃
He resumed his old trick of dancing about the room。
〃I was a fool ever to let you have the box！ I ought to have known
better than to have trusted you； goodness knows you have given me
sufficient cause to mistrust you！ Over and over again！ Your
character is only too notorious！ You have plundered friend and foe
alikefriend and foe alike！ As for the rubbish which you call
your collection； nine tenths of it； I know as a positive fact； you
have stolen out and out。〃
〃Who stole my Sir Walter Raleigh pipe？ Wasn't it a man named
Pugh？〃
〃Look here； Joseph Tress！〃
〃I'm looking。〃
〃Oh； it's no good talking to you； not the least！ You'reyou're
dead to all the promptings of conscience！ May I inquire； Mr。
Tress； what it is you propose to do？〃
〃I PROPOSE to do nothing； except summon the representatives of law
and order。 Failing that； my dear Pugh； I had some faint； vague；
very vague idea of taking the contents of your ninepenny puzzle to
a certain firm in Hatton Garden； who are dealers in precious
stones； and to learn from them if they are disposed to give
anything for it； and if so； what。〃
〃I shall come with you。〃
〃With pleasure； on condition that you pay the cab。〃
〃I pay the cab！ I will pay half。〃
〃Not at all。 You will either pay the whole fare； or else I will
have one cab and you shall have another。 It is a three…shilling
cab fare from here to Hatton Garden。 If you propose to share my
cab； you will be so good as to hand over that three shillings
before we start。〃
He gasped； but he handed over the three shillings。 There are few
things I enjoy so much as getting money out of Pugh！
On the road to Hatton Garden we wrangled nearly all the way。 I own
that I feel a certain satisfaction in irritating Pugh； he is such
an irritable man。 He wanted to know what I thought we should get
for the diamond。
〃You can't expect to get much for the contents of a ninepenny
puzzle； not even the price of a cab fare； Pugh。〃
He eyed me； but for some minutes he was silent。 Then he began
again。
〃Tress； I don't think we ought to let it go for less thanthan
five thousand pounds。〃
〃Seriously； Pugh； I doubt whether； when the whole affair is ended；
we shall get five thousand pence for it； or； for the matter of
that； five thousand farthings。〃
〃But why not？ Why not？ It's a magnificent stonemagnificent！
I'll stake my life on it。〃
I tapped my breast with the tips of my fingers。
〃There's a warning voice within my breast that ought to be in
yours； Pugh！ Something tells me； perhaps it is the unusually
strong vein of common sense which I possess； that the contents of
your ninepenny puzzle will be found to be a magnificent doan
ingenious practical joke； my friend。〃
〃I don't believe it。〃
But I think he did； at any rate； I had unsettled the foundations of
his faith。
We entered the Hatton Garden office side by side； in his anxiety
not to let me get before him； Pugh actually clung to my arm。 The
office was divided into two parts by a counter which ran from wall
to wall。 I advanced to a man who stood on the other side of this
counter。
〃I want to sell you a diamond。〃
〃WE want to sell you a diamond；〃 interpolated Pugh。
I turned to Pugh。 I 〃fixed〃 him with my glance。
〃I want to sell you a diamond。 Here it is。 What will you give me
for it？〃
Taking the crystal from my waistcoat pocket I handed it to the man
on the other side of the counter。 Directly he got it between his
fingers； and saw that it was that he had got； I noticed a sudden
gleam come into his eyes。
〃This isthis is rather a fine stone。〃
Pugh nudged my arm。
〃I told you so。〃 I paid no attention to Pugh。 〃What will you give
me for it？〃
〃Do you mean； what will I give you for it cash down upon the nail？〃
〃Just sowhat will you give me for it cash down upon the nail？〃
The man turned the crystal over and over in his fingers。 〃Well；
that's rather a large order。 We don't often get a chance of buying
such a stone as this across the counter。 What do you say towell
to ten thousand pounds？〃
Ten thousand pounds！ It was beyond my wildest imaginings。 Pugh
gasped。 He lurched against the counter。
〃Ten thousand pounds！〃 he echoed。
The man on the other side glanced at him； I thought； a little
curiously。
〃If you can give me references； or satisfy me in any way as to your
bona fides； I am prepared to give you for this diamond an open
check for ten thousand pounds； or if you prefer it； the cash
instead。〃
I stared； I was not accustomed to see business transacted on quite
such lines as those。
〃We'll take it；〃 murmured Pugh； I believe he was too much overcome
by his feelings to do more than murmur。 I interposed。
〃My dear sir； you will excuse my saying that you arrive very
rapidly at your conclusions。 In the first place； how can you make
sure that it is a diamond？〃
The man behind the counter smiled。
〃I should be very ill…fitted for the position which I hold if I
could not tell a diamond directly I get a sight of it； especially
such a stone as this。〃
〃But have you no tests you can apply？〃
〃We have tests which we apply in cases in which doubt exists； but
in this case there is no doubt whatever。 I am as sure that this is
a diamond as I am sure that it is air I breathe。 However； here is
a test。〃
There was a wheel close by the speaker。 It was worked by a
treadle。 It was more like a superior sort of traveling…tinker's
grindstone than anything else。 The man behind the counter put his
foot upon the treadle。 The wheel began to revolve。 He brought the
crystal into contact with the swiftly revolving wheel。 There was a
sssh！ And； in an instant； his hand was empty； the crystal had
vanished into air。
〃Good heavens！〃 he gasped。 I never saw such a look of amazement on
a human countenance before。 〃It's splintered！〃
POSTSCRIPT
It WAS a diamond； although it HAD splintered。 In that fact lay the
point of the joke。 The man behind the counter had not been wrong；
examination of such dust as could be collected proved that fact
beyond a doubt。 It was declared by experts that the diamond； at
some period of its history； had been subjected to intense and
continuing heat。 The result had been to make it as brittle as
glass。
There could be no doubt that its original owner had been an expert
too。 He knew where he got it from； and he probably knew