your may imagine my i speak on grounds of public policy pursued the prince jewels so valuable should be reserved for the s diamond the collection of a prince or the treasury of a great nation to hand them about among the common sort of men is to set a price on virtue s head and if the of � a prince i understand of great � desired vengeance upon the men of europe he could hardly have gone more about his purpose th n by sending us this apple of discord there is no honesty too robust for such a trial i myself who have many duties and privileges of my own � i myself mr could scarcely handle the crystal and be safe as for you who are a diamond hunter by taste and profession i do not believe there is a crime in the you would not � i do not believe you have a friend in the world whom you would not eagerly betray � i do not know if you have a family but if you have i declare you would sacrifice your children � and all this for what not to be richer nor to have more comforts or more respect but simply to call this diamond yours for a year or two until you die and now and again to open a safe and look at it as one looks at a picture � it is true replied i have hunted most things from men and women down to i have for coral i have followed both and and a diamond is the of the lot it has beauty and worth it alone can properly reward the of the chase at this moment as your may fancy i am upon the trail i have a sure a wide experience i know every stone of price in my brother s collection as a shepherd knows his sheep and i wish i may die if i do not recover them every one sir thomas will have great cause to thank you said the prince i am not so sure returned the with a laugh one of the will thomas or john � peter or paul � we are all nights i did not catch your observation said the prince with some disgust and at the same moment the waiter informed mr that his cab was at the door mr glanced at the clock and saw that he also must be moving and the coincidence struck him sharply and for he desired to see no more of the diamond hunter much study having somewhat shaken the young man s nerves he was in the habit of m the most luxurious manner and for the present journey he had taken a sofa in the sleeping carriage you will be very comfortable said the guard is no one in your and only one old gentleman in the other end it was close upon the hour arid the tickets were being examined when mr beheld this other fellow passenger ushered by several into his place certainly there was not another man in the world whom he would not have preferred � for it was old john the ex the sleeping carriages on the great northern line divided into three � one at each end for and one in the centre fitted with the of a a door running in separated each of the others from the but as there were neither nor locks the whole was practically common ground when mr had studied his position he perceived himself without defence if the chose to pay him a visit in the course of the night he could do no less than receive it he had no means of and lay open to attack as if he had been lying in the fields this situation caused him some agony of mind he recalled with alarm the statements of his fellow across the and the professions of which he had heard him offering to the disgusted prince some persons he remembered to have read are endowed v the diamond with a singular quickness of perception for the neighborhood of precious through walls and even at considerable distances they are said to divine the presence of gold might it not be the same with diamonds he wondered and if so who was more likely to enjoy this sense than the person who in the of the diamond hunter from such a man he recognized that he had everything to fear and longed eagerly for the arrival of the day in the meantime he neglected no precaution concealed his diamond in the most internal pocket of a system of great coats and devoutly recommended himself to the care of providence the train pursued its usual even and rapid course and nearly half the journey had been accomplished before slumber began to triumph over uneasiness in the breast of mr for some time he resisted its influence but it grew upon him more and more and a little before york he was fain to stretch himself upon one of the and suffer his eyes to close and almost at the same instant consciousness deserted the young clergyman his last thought was of his neighbor when he awoke it was still pitch dark except for the of the veiled lamp and the continual roaring and to the of the train he sat upright in a panic for he had been tormented by the most uneasy dreams it was some seconds before he recovered his self command and even after he had resumed a attitude sleep continued to flee him and he lay awake with his brain in a state of violent agitation and his eyes fixed upon the door he pulled his felt hat over his brow still farther to shield him from the light and he adopted the usual such as counting a thousand or thought by which experienced are accustomed to the approach of 