Part Two.
The diamond was just such a stone as the poor old General used to describe when he talked of the one he expected to come across—such a stone as he argued that the one he saw in the next claim years before had been chipped. The old man’s theory was rubbish, Charlie had always believed, but there, sure enough, was a diamond that bore it out. It must have been dislodged from the ground that had fallen, and when he met his death the General was very near the prize he had somehow always expected to find. Charlie examined the diamond carefully; he had never seen so large a stone of the same quality before. He could not estimate its value, but it was worth a good many thousands, he believed, for it would probably be one of the finest stones in the world.
“Hullo! what have you got there? Show me. Put it in your pocket and hurry away from this place; remember we’re partners, old man; come, look slippy, we don’t want any one to see us mouching about here,” Charlie heard a voice say in his ear, and looking round, he saw his partner, Bill Jeffson, who was staring with big eyes at the diamond, and in his amazement at seeing it had dropped a bottle of ‘Cape smoke’ on the ground without even using one word of bad language.
“What do you mean? What’s our partnership got to do with this diamond? it’s not found in our claim.”
“That’s it, you darned fool! It’s got to be found in our claim; that’s the only place you can find a diamond in legally if one wants to stick to it.”
“Stick to it. Why, this belongs to the General, and I am going to give it up to Jim Heap.”
“Stop, you ain’t going to give that diamond up to Jim Heap! You’re mad! Stop! Man alive, how can the diamond belong to any one except the first man who finds it? These claims are abandoned.”
Charlie paid no heed to the other, who was trembling with excitement and greed, but pushed past him and walked in the direction of Jim Heap’s house.
Bill Jeffson stood for some seconds watching him, thinking what he could say or do to get some share in the diamond he had seen; then he ran after him, and caught hold of him by the arm.
“Look here, Charlie—now don’t get riled with an old chum. Look here, now let me put it to you—ain’t you making a mistake? Why don’t you stick to the diamond? You say it belongs to the old General’s girl. Well, you’re sweet on her, and want to marry her, so it won’t hurt her if you do stick to it; she’ll get her share, and it will be all one to her; while if you give it up see where are you—why, you lose the diamond and her too. You don’t suppose that she would marry you if she had a fortune of her own, and that diamond means a fortune, mind you. She is a lady by birth, mind, and has relations in England who are as fine people as any in the land, so I’ve heard; and though they won’t put themselves out about her now—she would only be a trouble to ’em—it would be a different story if she were a bit of an heiress. Why, every one would cry shame, and say you were standing in the girl’s light and preventing her taking her proper place. Now, look here, you say you found that diamond in our claim—you and I can settle about my share—and then you will have something to go on when you ask the girl to marry you. Now think it over, and don’t act in a hurry;” and Mr Jeffson looked inquiringly into his partner’s face to see if his persuasion was taking any effect upon him.