embezzle a portion of the purchase-money,
and enjoy the pleasures and vices of the capital for a few months;
then back to his milch cow, Phoebe, and lead a quiet life till the
next uncontrollable fit should come upon him along with the means of
satisfying it.

On the way, he read Staines's letter to Mrs. Falcon, very carefully. He
never broke the seal of the letter to Mrs. Staines. That was to be given
her when he had broken the good news to her; and this he determined to
do with such skill, as should make Dr. Staines very unwilling to look
suspiciously or ill-naturedly into money accounts.

He reached London; and being a thorough egotist, attended first to his
own interests; he never went near Mrs. Staines until he had visited
every diamond merchant and dealer in the metropolis; he showed the small
stones to them all but he showed no more than one large stone to each.

At last he got an offer of twelve hundred pounds for the small stones,
and the same for the large yellow stone, and nine hundred pounds for the
second largest stone. He took this nine hundred pounds, and instantly
wrote to Phoebe, telling her he had a sudden inspiration to bring the
diamonds to England, which he could not regret, since he had never done
a wiser thing. He had sold a single stone for eight hundred pounds, and
had sent the doctor's four hundred pounds to her account in Cape Town;
and as each sale was effected, the half would be so remitted. She would
see by that, he was wiser than in former days. He should only stay so
long as might be necessary to sell them all equally well. His own share
he would apply to paying off mortgages on the family estate, of which
he hoped some day to see her the mistress, or he would send it direct to
her, whichever she might prefer.

Now the main object of this artful letter was to keep Phoebe quiet, and
not have her coming after him, of which he felt she was very capable.

The money got safe to Cape Town, but the letter to Phoebe miscarried.
How this happened was never positively known; but the servant of the
lodging-house was afterwards detected cutting stamps off a letter; so
perhaps she had played that game on this occasion.

By this means, matters took a curious turn. Falcon, intending to lull
his wife into a false security, lulled himself into that state instead.

When he had taken care of himself, and got five hundred pounds to play
the fool with, then he condescended to remember his errand of mer