In his eyes gleamed the sadness of a last farewell. It seemed to him he
had gone too far, now, to change his resolution of stealing.

A romantic desire, almost a dandified pride, that drove him to make good
with the girl, formed the basis of his madness, rather than any carnal
desire. This desire, which had at first possessed him, had now evolved
into a refined and purely artistic sentiment, a wish to accomplish some
heroic deed. At last analysis, merely to get possession of Alicia had
become unimportant. The most vital factor, practically the only one now,
was to assume in her opinion a splendid heroism. Darles wanted to show
this kind of heroism, which the adventurous soul of woman always
admires. He was finding himself on a par with great criminals, with
illustrious artists, with multimillionaires who wreck their fortunes in
a single night, with every man who steps outside the common, beaten
paths. And the poor student, reflecting how the girl would always
remember that an honorable man had gone to jail for love of her, thought
himself both happy and well-paid.

Absorbed in these chimerical fancies, Enrique Darles came to the
jeweler's shop in Calle Mayor. Its lights had just been turned on, and
now they flung bright radiance across the sidewalk. The boy stopped in
front of the window, which was filled with blinding splendor. There, in
the middle of the display, was the terrible necklace of emeralds. It was
hung about a half-bust of white velvet. Darles studied it a long time,
and at first felt that mingled chill and fear which the sight of
firearms will sometimes produce in us. But soon this sensation faded.
The green light of the emeralds exalted him. It seemed to exercise a
kind of magnetic attraction, resistless as the force of gravitation.
Nevertheless, the boy still hesitated. He still understood that in this
little space between him and the shop-window a great abyss was yawning.
But suddenly he thought:

"Suppose Alicia should see me here, now?"

This idea overthrew his last fears. With a sure hand he opened the shop
door. He walked up to the counter. His step was easy and self-possessed.
A tall, finely-dressed clerk, with large red mustaches, advanced to meet
him.

"What can I show you, sir?" asked the clerk.

With an aplomb that just a moment before would have seemed impossible to
him, Enrique answered:

"I'd like to see that emerald necklace in the window."

"Yes, sir."

Darles glanced about hi