The Orange-Yellow DiamondFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Orange-Yellow Diamond
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories; Diamonds -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction
The folk who had been chiefly concerned about the orange-yellow diamond
and the eighty thousand pounds' worth of Bank of England notes were not
so much troubled about proving the truth of Yada's strange story as
Yada himself was--the main point to them was that they had recovered
their property. Naturally they felt remarkably grateful to Melky
Rubinstein for his astuteness in circumventing Yada at what might have
been the last moment. And one day, at that portion of it when business
was slack and everybody was feeling comfortable after dinner, Melky
called on Mrs. Goldmark and became confidentially closeted with her in
a little parlour behind her establishment which she kept sacred to
herself. Mrs. Goldmark, who had quick eyes, noticed that Melky was
wearing his best clothes, and a new silk hat, and new gloves, and had
put his feet into patent-leather boots which she secretly and
sympathizingly--felt to be at least a size too small for him. He sighed
as he sat near her on the sofa--and Mrs. Goldmark looked at him with
concern.
"Such a time you have lately, Mr. Rubinstein, don't you?" she said
feelingly. "Such worries--such troubles! And the risk you ran taking
that wicked young man all by yourself--so brave of you! You'd ought to
have one of these medals what they give to folks, so!"
"You think that?" responded Melky, brightening suspiciously. "Oh, Mrs.
Goldmark, your words is like wine--all my life I been wishing some
beautiful woman would say them things to me! Now I feel like I was two
foot taller, Mrs. Goldmark! But I don't want no medals--not me. Mr.
Levendale and Mr. Purvis, they came to me and say they must give me a
reward--handsome reward, you understand, for getting back their goods.
So I say no--I won't have nothing for myself--nothing. But, I say, just
so--there is one that should be rewarded. Mrs. Goldmark!--do you know
what? I think of you when I say that!"
Mrs. Goldmark uttered a feeble scream, clasped her hands, and stared at
Melky out of her melting eyes.
"Me?" she exclaimed. "Why--I ain't done nothing, Mr. Rubinstein!"
"Listen to me," persisted Melky. "What I says to Mr. Levendale is this
here--if Mrs. Goldmark hadn't had her eating establishment, and if Mr.
Purvis hadn't gone into it to eat a chop and to drop his platinum
solitaire on the table, and if Mrs. Goldmark hadn't taken care of that
platinum solitaire, and if things hadn't sprung from it--eh, what then,
I should like to know? So Mrs. Goldmark is entitled to whatever little
present there is!--that's how I put it, Mrs. Goldmark. And Mr.
Levendale and Mr. Purvis, they agreed with me--and oh, Mrs. Goldmark,
ain't you going to be nice and let me put this round your beautiful
neck?"
Mrs. Goldmark screamed again as Melky produced a diamond necklace,
lying in a blue velvet bed in a fine morocco case. The glitter of the
diamonds turned both beholders hoarse with emotion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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