I watched him meddling till I could bear to watch no longer, feeling a
fierce feverish suspense as to what he might say, and my pulse beating
so quick that I could scarce stand still. For was not the decisive
moment very nigh when we should know, from these parched-up lips, the
value of the jewel, and whether it was worth risking life for, whether
the fabric of our hopes was built on sure foundation or on slippery
sand? So I turned my back on the diamond merchant, and looked out of the
window, waiting all the while to catch the slightest word that might
come from his lips.
I have found then and at other times that in such moments, though the
mind be occupied entirely by one overwhelming thought, yet the eyes take
in, as it were unwittingly, all that lies before them, so that we can
afterwards recall a face or landscape of which at the time we took no
note. Thus it was with me that night, for though I was thinking of
nothing but the jewel, yet I noted everything that could be seen through
the window, and the recollection was of use to me later on. The window
was made in the French style, reaching down to the floor, and opening
like a door with two leaves. It led on to a little balcony, and now stood
open (for the day was still very hot), and on the wall below was trained
a pear-tree, which half-embowered the balcony with its green leaves.
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