I could have cursed him for the wondering love of that fair jewel that overspread his face; and cursed him ten times more for the smile upon his lips, because I guessed he laughed to think how he had duped two simple sailors that very afternoon.
There was the diamond in his hands--our diamond, my diamond--in his hands, and I but two yards from my own; only a flimsy veil of wood and glass to keep me from the treasure he had basely stolen from us.

Then I felt Elzevir's hand upon my shoulder.

'Let us be going,' he said; 'a minute more and he may come to put these shutters to, and find us here.
Let us be going.

Diamonds are not for simple folk like us; this is an evil stone, and brings a curse with it.

Let us be going, John.' But I shook off the kind hand roughly, forgetting how he had saved my life, and nursed me for many weary weeks and stood by me through bad and worse; for just now the man at the table rose and took out a little iron box from a cupboard at the back of the room.