"You see, we have to get down to the core of carbon gently," he
said, as he picked up the little pieces of iron and threw them
into a scrap-box. "First rather brittle cast iron, then hard
iron, then iron and carbon, then some black diamonds, and in the
very centre the diamonds.
"Ah! we are getting to them. Here is a small diamond. See, Mr.
Spencer--gently Francois--we shall come to the large ones
presently."
"One moment, Professor Poissan," interrupted Craig; "let your
assistant break them out while I stand over him."
"Impossible. You would not know when you saw them. They are just
rough stones."
"Oh, yes, I would."
"No, stay where you are. Unless I attend to it the diamonds might
be ruined."
There was something peculiar about his insistence, but after he
picked out the next diamond I was hardly prepared for Kennedy's
next remark.
"Let me see the palms of your hands."
Poissan shot an angry glance at Kennedy, but he did not open his
hands.
"I merely wish to convince you, 'Mr. Spencer,'" said Kennedy to
me, "that it is no sleight-of-hand trick and that the professor
has not several uncut stones palmed in his hand like a
prestidigitator."
The Frenchman faced us, his face livid with rage. "You call me a
prestidigitator, a fraud--you shall suffer for that! Sacrebleu!
Ventre du Saint Gris! No man ever insults the honour of Poissan.
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