rely to fill and light it.

"It isn't on the face of the rock we've got to look, Sellon," he said,
when this operation was completed. "It's here."

He rose, advanced to the cleft, and gazed eagerly inside. It was just
wide enough to admit a man's body. Just then the first arrowy gleams of
the risen sun shot over the frowning rock walls, glowing athwart the
grey chill atmosphere of the crater. They swept round the searcher's
head, darting into the shaded cleft.

And then one swift reflected beam from the shadow of that rocky recess,
one dart of fire into his eyes, and Renshaw started back. There, not
two yards in front of his face, protruded from the rough surface of the
quartz, a dull hard pyramid; but from the point of that pyramid darted
the ray which had for the moment blinded him.

"HERE IT IS! THE EYE!"

The other was at his side in a moment. And thus they stood side by
side, speechless, gazing upon a truly magnificent diamond.

Well might they be struck speechless. To one the retrospect of a hard,
lonely life, sacrificed in detail to the good of others, a struggling
against wind and tide, a constant battle against the very stars in their
courses--rose up and passed before his eyes in a lightning flash at that
moment. To the other what experience of soured hopes, of reckless
shifts, of a so far marred life, of failure, and confidence misplaced
and unrequited--of gradual cutting loose from all principle--a confusion
between the sense of right and wrong, and, following immediately upon
all, a golden glow of hope no longer deferred, a sunny ideal of abundant
consolation; of love and happiness! But to both comfort, ease, wealth.

Wealth. The riches lying waste for ages in this remote solitude must at
length yield to the grasping hand of their predestined owner--Man. With
the first human footfall in this solemn untrodden recess rushed in the
jarring cares and considerations of the busy world in all its whirling
haste--its feverish strivings. Wealth!

With the point of his geological hammer Renshaw next proceeded to chip a
circle around the great diamond. Clink, clink! The hammer bit its way
slowly but surely into the face of the hard rock. Clink, clink! The
circle deepened. The chips flew into their eager faces. No thought of
pausing to rest.

It was a long job and a tedious one. At length the quartz cracked, then
split. The superb stone rolled into Renshaw's hand.

"Seven or eight hundre