she said. ‘If he returns to Beaucaire without the diamond, he will inform against us, and, as he says, who knows if we shall ever again see the Abbé Busoni?—in all probability we shall never see him.’
“ ‘Well, then, so I will!’ said Caderousse; ‘so you may have the diamond for 45,000 francs. But my wife wants a gold chain, and I want a pair of silver buckles.’
“The jeweller drew from his pocket a long flat box, which contained several samples of the articles demanded.
‘Here,’ he said, ‘I am very straightforward in my dealings—take your choice.’
“The woman selected a gold chain worth about five louis, and the husband a pair of buckles, worth perhaps fifteen francs.
“ ‘I hope you will not complain now?’ said the jeweller.
“ ‘The abbé told me it was worth 50,000 francs,’ muttered Caderousse.
“ ‘Come, come—give