The Goldsmith Comes to Town the Third Time.
The flash digger put his elbows on the table, and leered at Gentle Annie who sat, radiant, at the other side of the board.
“You must have made quite a pile.”
“My dear, it’s never wise to tell a woman all you know or all you’ve got. But I don’t mind telling you this much: I had luck, or I wouldn’t be able to satisfy your little whims.”
He put his hand into his breast pocket, and drew out a plush-covered case.
“You asked for the biggest diamond in Timber Town, and here it is.”
He opened the case, and took out a gold ring, in which was set a stone, fully a carat-and-a-half in weight. Gentle Annie’s eyes glittered almost as brightly as the facets of the diamond.
“Dear little jewels for our dear girls.” The flash digger held up the brilliant between his finger and thumb. “That bit of carbon cost me £30.”
He passed the ring to the girl, who eagerly tried it, first on one finger, then on another.
“Lovely!” she exclaimed: then, as the sudden suspicion struck her, she asked, “You’re sure it’s real?”