Page:Moonfleet - John Meade Falkner.pdf/233

 hand, and more than all the other buyers in this town would bid you for it."

"Tush, tush," cried Elzevir, and I could hear the bitterness and disappointment in his voice, however much he tried to hide it; "we are not come to beg for silver crowns, so keep them in your purse. And the devil take this shining sham; we are well quit of it; there is a curse upon the thing!" And with that he caught up the stone and flung it away out of the window in his anger.

This brought the diamond-buyer to his feet in a moment. "You fool, you cursed fool!" he shrieked, "are you come here to beard me? and when I say the thing is worth ten silver crowns do you fling it to the winds?"

I had sprung forward with a half thought of catching Elzevir's arm, but it was too late; the stone flew up in the air, caught the low rays of the setting sun for a moment, and then fell among the flowers. I could not see it as it fell, yet followed with my eyes the line in which it should have fallen, and thought I saw a glimmer where it touched the earth. It was only a flash or sparkle for an instant, just at the stem of that same rushy, red-flowered plant, and then nothing more to be seen; but as I faced round I saw the little man's eyes turned that way too, and perhaps he saw the flash as well as I.

"There's for your ten crowns!" said Elzevir.—"Let us be going, lad." And he took me by the arm and marched me out of the room and down the stairs.

"Go and be damned to you!" says Mr. Aldobrand, his voice being not so high as when he cried out last, but in his usual squeak; and then he repeated "be