The want of sensibility which Charles showed when his aunt was parting with her jewels to Mr. Carat, would have infallibly ruined him in the opinion of most ladies. He took the trinkets up, one by one, without ceremony, and examined them, asking his aunt and the jeweller questions about the use and value of diamonds--about the working of the mines of Golconda--about the shining of diamonds in the dark, observed by the children of Cogi Hassan, the rope-maker, in the Arabian Tales--about the experiment of Francis the First upon _melting_ of diamonds and rubies. Mr. Carat was a Jew, and, though extremely cunning, profoundly ignorant. "Dat king wash very grand fool, beg his majesty's pardon," said the Jew, with a shrewd smile; "but kings know better nowadays. Heaven bless dere majesties." Charles had a great mind to vindicate the philosophic fame of Francis the First, but a new idea suddenly started into his head. "My dearest aunt," cried he, stopping her hand as she was giving her diamond ear-rings to Mr. Carat--"stay, my dearest aunt, one instant, till I have seen whether this is a good day for selling diamonds." "O my dear young gentleman, no day in de Jewish calendar more proper for de purchase," said the Jew. "For the purchase! yes," said Charles; "but for the sale?" "My love," said his aunt, "surely you are not so foolish as to think there are lucky and unlucky days." "No, I don't mean any thing about lucky and unlucky days," said Charles, running up to consult the barometer; "but what I mean is not foolish indeed: in some book I've read that the dealers in diamonds buy them when the air is light, and sell them when it is heavy, if they can; because their scales are so nice that they vary with the change in the atmosphere. Perhaps I may not remember exactly the words, but that's the sense, I know. I'll look for the words; I know whereabout to find them." He jumped upon a chair, to get down the book. "But, Master Charles," said the Jew, with a show of deference, "I will not pretend to make a bargain with you--I see you know a great deal more than I of these traffics." To this flattery Charles made no answer, but continued looking for the passage he wanted in his book. Whilst he was turning over the leaves, a gentleman, a friend of Mrs. Howard, who had promised her to meet Mr. Carat, came in. He was the gentleman formerly mentioned by the name of _the traveller_: he was a good judge of diamonds, and, what is better, he was a good judge of the human heart and understanding. He was much pleased with Charles's ready recollection of the little knowledge he possessed, with his eagerness to make that knowledge of use to his aunt, and more with his perfect simplicity and integrity; for Charles, after a moment's thought, turned to the Jew and said,--