Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/206

194 "One hundred and thirty," murmured the marquise, "You are quite sure of your figures, Monsieur Faucheux?"

"Positive, madame. Besides, there is no difficulty in weighing them."

"The amount is entered in my books."

"Your ladyship is extremely methodical, I am aware."

"Let us now turn to another subject," said Mme. de Bellière, and she opened one of her jewel-boxes.

"I recognize these emeralds," said M. Faucheux; "for it was I who had the setting of them. They are the most beautiful in the whole court. No, I am mistaken; Madame de Châtillon has the most beautiful set; she had them from Messieurs de Guise; but your set, madame, are next."

"What are they worths"

"Mounted?"

"No; supposing I wished to sell them."

"I know very well who would buy them," exclaimed M. Faucheux.

"That is the very thing I ask. They could be purchased, then?"

"All your jewels could be bought. It is well known that you possess the most beautiful jewels in Paris. You are not changeable in your tastes; when you make a purchase it is of the very best; and what you purchase you do nob part with."

"What could these emeralds be sold for, then?"

"A hundred and thirty thousand francs."

The marquise wrote down upon her tablets the amount which the jeweler mentioned. "The ruby necklace?" she said.

"Are they Balass rubies, madame?"

"Here they are."

"They are beautiful — magnificent. I did not know that your ladyshijo had these stones."

"What is their value?"

"Two hundred thousand francs. The center one is alone worth a hundred."

"I thought so," said the marquise. "As for diamonds, I have them in numbers; rings, necklaces, sprigs, earrings, clasps. Tell me their value. Monsieur Faucheux."

The jeweler took his magnifying-glass and scales, weighed and inspected them, and then silently made his calculations. "These stones," he said, "must have cost your ladyship an income of forty thousand francs."

"You value them at eight hundred thousand francs."