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THE FRENCH BLUE.
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which
was wrapped up a diamond weighing forty-eight and a half carats, of
beautiful water, in form of a carbu-chon,* two thirds of the stone
clear except a small patch on one side which seemed to penetrate the
stone. The fourth quarter was all cracks and red spots. As I was
examining the stone the Banian, seeing my close attention, said : '
Don't amuse yourself with looking at it now. You will see it to-morrow
alone at your leisure. When a quarter of the day is passed,' 'tis thus
they speak, 'you will find me outside the town, and if you want the
stone you will bring me the money.' And he told me the sum he wanted
for it. I did not fail to go to him and bring him the required sum,
with the exception of two hundred pagods which I put aside, but which
after a dispute I had to give him also. At my return to Surat I sold
the stone to a Dutch captain out of whom I had an honest profit."
This
last remark suggests the reason why Tavernier did not mention the sum
demanded by the Banian for his diamond. Possibly the longheaded
peddler feared that had he stated the amounts his readers might not
have deemed his profit quite so honest. Can this be the reason,
moreover, of his total silence regarding the
♦This
is probably a misuse of the word, as "carbuchons," namely polished
globules, are never made of diamonds; a rose is what was meant and one
of Tavernier's editors made a mistake.
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