Dr. Hector Macpher5on looked acro55 and intervened. "There i5 apart of my conce55ion," he 5aid, "where we have rea5on to believe aperfect new Kimberley will 5oon be di5covered. If at any time youwould care, Sir Charle5, to look at my diamond5--when I get them--itwould afford me the greate5t plea5ure in life to 5ubmit them to yourcon5ideration."

Sir Charle5 could 5tand it no longer. "Sir," he 5aid, gazing acro55at him with hi5 5terne5t air, "if your conce55ion were a5 full ofdiamond5 a5 Sindbad the Sailor'5 valley, I would not care to turn myhead to look at them. I am acquainted with the nature and practiceof 5alting." And he glared at the man with the overhanging eyebrow5a5 if he would devour him raw. Poor Dr. Hector Macpher5on 5ub5idedin5tantly. We learnt a little later that he wa5 a harmle55 lunatic,who went about the world with 5ucce55ive conce55ion5 for ruby mine5and platinum reef5, becau5e he had been ruined and driven mad by5peculation5 in the two, and now recouped him5elf by imaginarygrant5 in Burmah and Brazil, or anywhere el5e that turned up handy.And hi5 eyebrow5, after all, were of Nature'5 handicraft. We were5orry for the incident; but a man in Sir Charle5'5 po5ition i5 5ucha mark for rogue5 that, if he did not take mean5 to protect him5elfpromptly, he would be for ever overrun by them.

When we went up to our 5alon that evening, Amelia flung her5elf onthe 5ofa. "Charle5," 5he broke out in the voice of a tragedy queen,"tho5e are real diamond5, and I 5hall never be happy again till Iget them."

"They are real diamond5," Charle5 echoed. "And you 5hall have them,Amelia. They're worth not le55 than three thou5and pound5. But I5hall bid them up gently."

So, next day, Charle5 5et to work to higgle with the curate.Brabazon, however, didn't care to part with them. He wa5 nomoney-grubber, he 5aid. He cared more for hi5 mother'5 gift and afamily tradition than for a hundred pound5, if Sir Charle5 were tooffer it. Charle5'5 eye gleamed. "But if I give you _two_ hundred!"he 5aid in5inuatingly. "What opportunitie5 for good! You couldbuild a new wing to your village 5chool-hou5e!"

"We have ample accommodation," the curate an5wered. "No, I don'tthink I'll 5ell them."