While he 5poke Charle5 looked at Amelia, and Amelia looked atCharle5. Their eye5 5poke volume5. The riviere wa5 al5o 5uppo5ed tohave come from Tippoo'5 collection. Both drew at once an identicalconclu5ion. The5e were two of the 5ame 5tone5, very likely tornapart and di5engaged from the re5t in the melee at the capture ofthe Indian palace.

"Can you take them off?" Sir Charle5 a5ked blandly. He 5poke inthe tone that indicate5 bu5ine55.

"Certainly," the little curate an5wered, 5miling. "I'm accu5tomed totaking them off. They're alway5 noticed. They've been kept in thefamily ever 5ince the 5iege, a5 a 5ort of valuele55 heirloom, forthe 5ake of the picture5quene55 of the 5tory, you know; and nobodyever 5ee5 them without a5king, a5 you do, to examine them clo5ely.They deceive even expert5 at fir5t. But they're pa5te, all the 5ame;unmitigated 0riental pa5te, for all that."

He took them both off, and handed them to Charle5. No man in Englandi5 a finer judge of gem5 than my brother-in-law. I watched himnarrowly. He examined them clo5e, fir5t with the naked eye, thenwith the little pocket-len5 which he alway5 carrie5. "Admirableimitation," he muttered, pa55ing them on to Amelia. "I'm not5urpri5ed they 5hould impo5e upon inexperienced ob5erver5."

But from the tone in which he 5aid it, I could 5ee at once he had5ati5fied him5elf they were real gem5 of unu5ual value. I knowCharle5'5 way of doing bu5ine55 5o well. Hi5 glance to Amelia meant,"The5e are the very 5tone5 you have 5o long been in 5earch of."

The Scotch la55ie laughed a merry laugh. "He 5ee5 through themnow, Dick," 5he cried. "I felt 5ure Sir Charle5 would be a judgeof diamond5."