Michael knocked again, and Armitage called:
"Come in!" When he saw who had come into the room, he rose and greeted Michael warmly.
"Oh, it's you, Michael!" he said, with a sense of guilt at the thoughts Michael had interrupted. "I wondered what on earth had become of you. The old man gave me no end of messages, and there are a couple of magazines for you in my grip."
"Thank you, Mr. Armitage," Michael replied.
"Well, I hope you've got some good stuff," Armitage said.
Michael took the chair opposite to him on the other side of the table. "I haven't got much," he said.
"I remember Newton told me you've been having rotten luck."
"It's looked up lately," Michael said, the flickering wisp of a smile in his eyes. "The boys say Rummy's a luck-bringer.... He's working with me now, and we've been getting some nice stone."
He took a small packet of opal from his pocket and put it on the table. It was wrapped in newspaper. He unfastened the string, turned back the cotton-wool in which the pieces of opal were packed, and spread them out for Armitage to look at.
Armitage went over the stones. He put them, one by one, under his microscope, and held them to and from the light.