THE FRENCH BLUE. 119
cidedly
common. The true diamond, however, no matter what may be its hue, has
an iridescent brightness which no other gem can counterfeit. This
iridescence, coupled with its hardness, forms the test of the diamond;
and its absence never fails to reveal the nature of an impostor. If
anything can scratch a stone, that stone is not a diamond. The writer,
in common with all her schoolmates,once bestowed a great deal of
admiration and no small portion of envy upon a young companion on the
strength of that young companion's diamond, a lustrous gem of most
remarkable size. Alas! our admiration was undeserved and our- envy
misplaced. That splendid diamond had upon its upper surface three deep
scratches !
But to return. When Louis xiv. bought from Tavernier at, we will say, an " honest profit" to
