We passed two more waiting-men on the stairs, but they said nothing to
us, and so we came to the street.
We walked along together for some time without a word, and then
Elzevir said, 'Cheer up, lad, cheer up. Thou saidst thyself thou
fearedst there was a curse on the thing, so now it is gone, maybe we
are well quit of it.'
Yet I could not say anything, being too much disappointed to find the
diamond was a sham, and bitterly cast down at the loss of all our hopes.
It was all very well to think there was a curse upon the stone so long as
we had it, and to feign that we were ready to part with it; but now it
was gone I knew that at heart I never wished to part with it at all, and
would have risked any curse to have it back again. There was supper
waiting for us when we got back, but I had no stomach for victuals and
sat moodily while Elzevir ate, and he not much. But when I sat and
brooded over what had happened, a new thought came to my mind and I
jumped up and cried, 'Elzevir, we are fools! The stone is no sham; 'tis a
real diamond!'
He put down his knife and fork, and looked at me, not saying anything,
but waiting for me to say more, and yet did not show so much surprise as
I expected. Then I reminded him how the old merchant's face was full of
wonder and delight when first he saw the stone, which showed he thought
it was real then, and how afterwards, though he schooled his voice to
bring out long words to deceive us, he was ready enough to spring to his
feet and shriek out loud when Elzevir threw the stone into the garden.
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