So soon as we were in the private office, and face to face with Lobmeyr, I began to reckon up my man. That he was no fool was to be seen with half an eye. His head was long and well-balanced; his eyes were small and keen; he had whiskers which were just turning gray, and those big hands which stamp a man of commanding character. And he didn't bow or scrape like the other chap in the shop, but put on his glasses and read our letter through from end to end before he said a word. I watched him like a cat watches a mouse, and when he stuck for a minute in one place, my heart was in my mouth. But presently he handed the letter back to Sir Nicolas, and the smile on his face told me that all was well.
"Of course," said he, and I'm sure his French wasn't any better than mine, "Count Horowitz is known to me, and any friend of his is welcome. In what way can I be of service to the Comte de Laon?"
"You can sell me a diamond," cried Sir Nicolas, leaning back in his chair like a man who is doing another a favor.
"That is very easily done," said Lobmeyr. "I wish all those who brought letters of introduction to me came upon the same errand. Are you seeking a single stone or a set?"
"I am seeking a single stone, Brazilian if possible, quite white, circular in shape, and weighing not less than fifty carats."
The effect of this speech upon the man was as funny as any thing I ever saw. No sooner were the words out of my master's mouth than Lobmeyr wheeled round his chair and let his spectacles drop upon his knees.
"Fifty carats!" exclaimed he. "Oh, my dear sir, you might go half round Europe and not get such a stone as you seek!"
"Exactly, that is what I said to myself when I was asked by the person whose agent I am to find him such a diamond. 'There are only two houses likely to have so fine a thing,' said I; 'one is Streeter's of London, the other is Lobmeyr's of Vienna.' It is not possible for me to be in London this winter; therefore I go to Lobmeyr."
The man smiled again. He had begun to take the bait like a pike takes a roach.
"Well," said he, "I must justify your confidence in me. I have no diamond in the house which cor- responds exactly to your description, but I have a stone weighing forty-six carats, of which there is no equal in Europe. We call it the Golden Fleece. If you will wait a moment I will show it to you."
Saying this, he swung himself round in his chair again, and opened the great safe which stood behind him. When ten seconds had passed Sir Nicolas had the diamond in his hand, and the whole room seemed full of the sparkle of its lights. So bright, for a fact, was the stone, so magnificent, and of such a size, that even I lost my head at the sight of it, and stood gaping like a child at a wonder. It was just as if the man had taken a fortune from his safe and put it into our hands.
Sir Nicolas was the first to remember himself, and when he did so, he began to speak in such rapid French that I could not follow him. After a bit, however, he checked himself, and then I heard him say:
"In all things except size, it is the diamond I am seeking. Whether size would be a vital objection, the person who commissions me alone could say. He is to meet me to-morrow night at eight o'clock at the Hôtel Métropole. If you will bring the stone there, you shall have a 'yes' or 'no' in ten minutes."
"Are you staying in the hotel?"
"No, I have an apartment for the winter in the Singer Strasse, No. 16, so that we are almost neighbors. But my friend will be at the Métropole to-morrow night, and with your permission we will then take his opinion of the Golden Fleece. The price you said——"
"Is one hundred thousand florins."
"Ten thousand pounds," said Sir Nicolas, turning to me, and handing me the stone; "do you find it dear?"
I looked at it for some moments through a glass I had brought with me for the purpose. Then I said, in English:
"It is a thousand pounds more than it is worth."
Lobmeyr, it proved,—and this was very lucky for us,—did not understand a word of our own language.
"This gentleman here," cried Sir Nicolas, pointing to me, "who is one of the finest judges in the world of Brazilian stones, is of the opinion that you are asking ten thousand florins too much."
"In that case, M. le Comte, it would be for you to make me an offer of ten thousand florins less. Like all business men, I am open to offers, though I do not say that I will accept them. The diamond I am showing you is the first of its kind in Europe. For exquisite color and shape, for quality generally, I could hardly match it if you gave me a month for the task. It will remain for me to say yes or no when you are prepared to bid for it."
He said it all very sweetly, and when he had done, and the diamond was locked up in the safe again, we arranged for him to bring it to the Hôtel Métropole on the following evening at eight o'clock, and there to ask for the Comte de Laon. Then we got out of his shop, and only when we were under the shadow of the church of St. Stephen did either of us breathe freely again.
"Well," said Sir Nicolas, speaking first, "if Count Laon ever gets to hear that I took his name in Vienna, he'll be admitting that I did him credit. Bedad! I'm just proud of myself."
"You've the right to be that, sir," said I; "and as for Count Laon hearing any thing about it, why should be? He was at his place in Normandy a week ago. I don't suppose there's any thing in the air just now to bring him to Vienna."
"Gospel truth you speak there, and 'tis only for twenty-four hours that we shall be wanting it. Midnight to-morrow should see us out of Vienna."
"With ten thousand pounds in our pockets, and no harm done to any one, sir."
"The devil a bit! Oh, it was a lucky day when you told me to write the history of a diamond—that is, if Benjamin King doesn't draw back. You never know quite whether you've got a Yankee by the tail, or whether he's got you by the teeth. But I've no doubts myself but what he'll buy."
"Nor me, either, sir. They say he never refused to buy a diamond with a history yet."
"And sure, was there ever a better history written than the one we put in the Figaro—about a stone that didn't exist, too? Man, it was a colossal notion of yours. If ye don't mind, we'll be off to drink a glass of wine to the health of it."
I had no objection to this, you may imagine; nor could I gainsay him when he declared that the whole thing was my idea. Mine the plan was, mine all through, and never a prettier one born, I'll swear. For, you see, what had brought us from Paris to Vienna was this—we had come to sell to Benjamin King, the American bacon merchant, a diamond which did not exist. How the thing came about is told in a few words. I happened to read one day in Galignan's Messenger that King had a weakness for collecting historical jewelry. They said he would buy any diamond with a history; and no sooner had I seen the paragraph than I got the notion.
"By the Lord Harry," said I to myself, "you've only got to make up a sham story to palm off on this joker any rubbishy stone at twice its price. Your yarn must be well done, of course, and must have the look of truth about it. But given a steady head and plenty of cheek, there's thousands in the deal."
Well, this was my first inkling of it, but as the day went on, I found the notion working me up into a perfect fever. The more I thought of it, the more money there seemed in it. I convinced myself that you'd only got to plan the thing on a large enough scale to make a fortune. King was a millionnaire; he was in Paris; it was ten to one he would swallow a tempting bait. "If," said I, "we can buy a stone for one thousand and sell it to him for two, there's a thousand pounds. Or, again, if we can buy a stone for ten thousand and sell it to him for twenty because of the sham history we're going to