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Schultze, a huge blond German, sitting at a table in an alcove, alone, gazing out upon Fifth Avenue in deep abstraction, with perplexed wrinkles about his blue eyes. The German glanced around at Latham quickly as he proceeded to draw out a chair on the opposite side of the table. "Sid down, Laadham, sid down," he invited explosively. "I haf yust send der vaiter to der delephone to ask "
Then, side by side, he examined them; color, cutting, diameter, depth, all seemed to be the same. "Dwins, I dell you," repeated Mr. Schultze stolidly. "Dweedledum und Dweedledee, born of der same mudder und fadder. Laadham, id iss der miracle! Dey are der most beaudiful der world in yust der pair of dem." "Have you made," Mr.
"Laadham, ve Amerigans produce anyding," the German went on patiently. "In eighdeen hundred und forty-eight ve didn't know California vas full of gold; und so late as eighdeen hundred und ninedy-four ve didn't know der Klondike vas full of gold. Der greadest diamond fields ve know now are in Africa, bud in eighdeen hundred und sixty-six ve didn't know id!
"Think of id, Laadham, der alchemisds tried for dhree thousand years to make a piece of gold so big as a needle-point und didn'd; und he made diamonds so big as your fist mit a liddle cordide und some elecdricity! Mein Gott, man! Think of id!" The jewelers accepted Mr. Wynne's proposition. Mr. Wynne bowed his thanks, and handed to Mr.
Mr. Latham had been listening, as if dazed, to the hurried, somewhat disconnected, narrative; Mr. Schultze, keener to comprehend all that the story meant, was silent for a moment. "Den if all dose men know all he has told us, Laadham," he remarked finally, "our diamonds are nod worth any more as potatoes alretty." "But they don't know," Mr. Czenki burst out fiercely. "Don't you understand?
"I haf der dupligade of id, Laadham der dwin, der liddle brudder. Zee here!" From an inner pocket he produced a glazed white box, identical with that which Mr. Latham had just set down, then carefully laid the cover aside. "Look, Laadham, look!" Mr. Latham looked and gasped! Here was the counterpart of the mysterious diamond which still lay in Mr. Schultze's outstretched palm.
Schultze brought a heavy hand down on the slim shoulder of the expert, and turned to Mr. Latham. "Laadham, you are listening to der man who knows more as all of us pud in a crowd," he declared. "Mein Gott, I do believe he's right!" Mr. Latham was a cold, unimaginative man of business; he hadn't even believed in fairies when he was a boy.
Mr. Latham sent an office boy for Czenki, who a few minutes later appeared with an inquiry in his beady black eyes and a nod of recognition for Mr. Schultze. "Sid down, Mr. Czenki," the German invited. "Sid down und draw a long breath, und den dell Mr. Laadham here someding aboud diamonds." "What is it, please?" Mr. Czenki asked of Mr. Latham. "Mr.
Schultze shrugged his huge shoulders and thoughtfully flicked the ashes from his cigar into the consomme. "You know, Laadham," he said slowly, "dey don't pick up diamonds like dose on der streed gorners. I didn't believe dere vas a stone of so bigness in der Unided States whose owner I didn't know id vas. Dose dat are here I haf bring in myself, mostly dose I did not I haf kept drack of.
"Und if dey are nod on der Custom House records," he continued slowly, "und dey are nod smuggled in, den, Laadham, den Mein Gott, man, don'd you see?" "See what?" "Den dey are produced in dis country!" For a minute or two Mr. Latham sat perfectly still, gazing into the other's eyes. First he was startled, then this gave way to incredulity, and at last he shook his head. "No," he said flatly. "No."
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