son poor Madame Henriette in that glass of chicory water. And as
to pearls, real ones go yellow if unworn for a few months, and have to
be sunk fathoms deep in the sea, in safes with chains and anchors, and
detectives sitting day and night upon the beach, and sentries in
sentry-boxes; none of which occurs with imitations. Likewise you stamp
on a real pearl, while you must be quite careful not to crush a sham
one. All these are obvious differences revealing the nobility of the
real thing, though not necessarily adding to its charm. But, then,
there is the undoubted greater beauty, the wonderful _je ne sais
quoi_, the depth of colour, purity of substance, effulgence of fire,
of real gems, which we all recognize, although it is usual to have
them tested by an expert before buying. And, when all is said and
done, there is the difference in intrinsic value. And you need not
imagine that value is a figment. Political economy affords us two
different standards of value, the Marxian and the Orthodox. So you
cannot escape from believing in it. A thing is valuable either (_a_)
according to the amount of labour it embodies, or (_b_) according to
the amount of goods or money you can obtain in exchange for it. Now,
only let your mind dwell upon the value (_a_) embodied in a pearl or
diamond. The pearl fisher, who doubtless frequently gets drowned; let
alone the oyster, which has to have a horrid mortal illness, neither
of which happens to the mean-spirited artificer of Roman pearls; or
the diamond seeker, seeking through deserts for months; the fine
diamond merchant, dying in caravans, of the past; and, finally, the
diamond-cutter, grinding that adamant for weeks far, far more
indefatigably than to make the optic lenses which reveal hidden
planets and galaxies. All that labour, danger, that weary, weary time
embodied in a thing so tiny that, like Queen Mab, it can sit on an
alderman's forefinger! What could be more deeply satisfactory to think
upon? And as to value (_b_) (the value in _Exchange_ of Mill, Fawcett,
Marshall, Say, Bastiat, Gide), just think what you could buy by
selling a largish diamond, supposing you had one! And what unlikely
prices (fabulous, even monstrous) are said to have been given, before
and after dubious Madame de la Motte priced that great typical one,
for diamond necklaces by queens and heroines of every degree!

Precious stones, therefore, are heaven-ordained symbols of what mankind
values most highly--po