“Once for a week I had absolutely nothing to do, and I begged.  What a week that was!  One day the fire was going out and I had eaten nothing all day, and a little chap taking his girl out, gave me sixpence—­to show off.  Thank heaven for vanity!  How the fish-shops smelt!  But I went and spent it all on coals, and had the furnace bright red again, and then—­Well, hunger makes a fool of a man.

“At last, three weeks ago, I let the fire out.  I took my cylinder and unscrewed it while it was still so hot that it punished my hands, and I scraped out the crumbling lava-like mass with a chisel, and hammered it into a powder upon an iron plate.  And I found three big diamonds and five small ones.  As I sat on the floor hammering, my door opened, and my neighbour, the begging-letter writer came in.  He was drunk—­as he usually is.  “‘Nerchist,’ said he.  ‘You’re drunk,’ said I. ’’Structive scoundrel,’ said he.  ‘Go to your father,’ said I, meaning the Father of Lies.  ‘Never you mind,’ said he, and gave me a cunning wink, and hiccuped, and leaning up against the door, with his other eye against the door-post, began to babble of how he had been prying in my room, and how he had gone to the police that morning, and how they had taken down everything he had to say—­’’siffiwas a ge’m,’ said he.  Then I suddenly realised I was in a hole.  Either I should have to tell these police my little secret, and get the whole thing blown upon, or be lagged as an Anarchist.  So I went up to my neighbour and took him by the collar, and rolled him about a bit, and then I gathered up my diamonds and cleared out.  The evening newspapers called my den the Kentish Town Bomb Factory.  And now I cannot part with the things for love or money.

“If I go in to respectable jewellers they ask me to wait, and go and whisper to a clerk to fetch a policeman, and then I say I cannot wait.  And I found out a receiver of stolen goods, and he simply stuck to the one I gave him and told me to prosecute if I wanted it back.  I am going about now with several hundred thousand pounds-worth of diamonds round my neck, and without either food or shelter.  You are the first person I have taken into my confidence.  But I like your face and I am hard-driven.”

He looked into my eyes.

“It would be madness,” said I, “for me to buy a diamond under the circumstances.  Besides, I do not carry hundreds of pounds about in my pocket.  Yet I more than half believe your story.  I will, if you like, do this:  come to my office to-morrow . . . .”

“You think I am a thief!” said he keenly.  “You will tell the police.  I am not coming into a trap.”

“Somehow I am assured you are no thief.  Here is my card.  Take that, anyhow.  You need not come to any appointment.  Come when you will.”

He took the card, and an earnest of my good-will.

“Think better of it and come,” said I.

He shook his head doubtfully.  “I will pay back your half-crown with interest some day—­such interest as will amaze you,” said he.  “Anyhow, you will keep the secret? . . . .  Don’t follow me.”