The Springfield herald., 1912-04-26
Bv MAX PEMBERTON
Copyright. by w. G. Chapman.)

Darkness had fallen from a dull and
humid sky, and the lamps were begin
ming to struggle for brightness in Pic
cadilly, when the opal of Carmalovitch
was first put into my hand. The day
had been a sorry one for business: no
light, no sun, no stay of the downpour
of penetrating mist which had been
swept through the city by the driving
south wind from the late dawn to the
mock of sunset. | had sat In my pri-
vate office for six long hours. and l
had not seen customer. The UNI
brella bearing throng which trod the
street before my window hurried
quickly through the mud and the
slush. as people who had no leisure
even to gaze upon precious stones
they could not buy. l was going
home, in fact, as the one sensible pro
ceeding on such an afternoon, and
had my hand upon the great safe to
close 1t. when the mirror above my
desk showed me the reflection of a
curious-looking man who had entered
the outer shop, and stood already at
the counter.
this man was no ordinary customer.
His dress was altogether singular. He
had a black coat covering him from
his neck to his heels-a coat half
smothered astrachan. and one
which could have been made by no
English tailor. But his hands were
ungloved, and he wore low hat,
which might have been the hat Of an
office boy. / could see from the little
window of my private room, which
gives my eye command OF the shop.
that he had come on foot. and for
lack of any umbrella was pitiably wet.
Yet there was fine bearing about
him. and he was clearly a man given
to command, for my assistant mounted
to my room with his name at the
first bidding.
"Does he say what he wants?" I
asked, reading the large card upon
which were the words
"sTENILOFF CARMALOv1TCH";
but the man REPLIED
"Only that he must see you immed-
lately l don't like the look of him
at all"
SIS Abel in the shop?"
Hes at the door,
Every well; let him come to the
foot of my stairs. and If I ring as
usual, both of you come up"
In this profession of jewel-selling-
for every calling is profession nova
days-we are so constantly cheek by
jowl with swindlers that the coming
of one more or less Is of little NOM
ent in days work. At my own
place of business the material and
personal precautions are so organized
that the cleverest scoundrel living
would be troubled to get free of the
shop with slxpenny-worth of booty on
him. / have two armed men ready at
the ring of my bell-Abel is one of
them-and private wire to the near
est police-station.
I had scarcely given my instruc-
tions to Michel. my assistant-a rare
reader of intention. and fine judge
of faces-when the shabby-genteel
man entered. Michel placed a chair
for him on the opposite side of my
desk, and then left the room. There
was no more greeting between the
newcomer and myself than mutual
nodding of heads; and he on his part
fell at once upon his business. He
took large paper parcel from the in
side pocket of his coat and began to
unpack it; but there was SO much
paper. both brown and tissue, that
had some moments of leisure in which
to examine him more closely before
we got to talk. set him down in my
mind as man lowering on the bound
ary line of the middle age. n man with
what worn face. and with some of
the oldest clothes under the shielding
long coat that l have ever looked
upon. These l saw when he unbut.
toned the enveloplpg cape to get at
his parcel in the inner pocket; and
while he undid 1t, could observe
that his fingers were thin as the
talons of bird, and that he trembled
all over with the mere effort of un'
loosing the string.
The operation lasted some minutes
He spoke no word during that time
but when he had reduced the coil of
brown paper to tiny square of wash
leather, I asked him.
Have you something to show me?
He looked up at me with a pair OF
intensely. ridiculously blue eyes, and
shrugged his shoulders.
Should I undo all these papers II
] had not?" he responded; and l saw
at once that he was man who, from
a verbal point of view, stood objec'
tionably upon the defensive.
What sort of stone Is it?' ! went
on in somewhat unlnterested tone
of voice; mot ruby. 1 hope. 1 have
just bought a parcel of rubies."
By way of answer he opened the
little wash-leather bag and taking ur
my jewel-tongs. which lay at his hand
he held up an opal of such prodigious
size and quality that restrained my
self with difficulty from crying out al
the sight of It, It was a Cerwenitza
stone, saw at glance, almost per
feet circle in shape. and at least fouI
inches In diameter. There was g
touch OF the oxide in its color which
gave it the faintest suspicion of black
in the shade of its lights; but fo1
wealth of hue and dazzling richness