The jeweller took the stone carelessly; but after a few
moments' examination of it, he cast a rapid glance at the threadbare
coat and mean appearance of the possessor, and then abruptly
exclaimed: 'This jewel does not belong to you, and you must not leave
the house till you account for its being in your possession. Close the
doors,' he said to his foreman, 'and send for the police.' In vain did
Simon protest his innocence; in vain did he offer every proof of it.
The lapidary would listen to nothing; but at every look he gave the
gem, he darted at him a fresh glance of angry contempt. 'You must be a
fool as well as a knave,' he said. 'Do you know, scoundrel, that this
is the Vatteville--the prince of rubies; the most splendid, the rarest
of gems. It might be deemed a mere creation of imagination, were it
not enrolled and accurately described in the archives of our art. See
here, in the _Guide des Lapidaires_, a print of it. Mark its antique
fashioning, and that dark spot!--yes, it is indeed the precious ruby
so long thought lost.
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