"
"Where? Come, now, no nonsense!"
"There--in front of us."
"Where?"
"Between two paving-stones."
"Which?"
"Look for it."
"Which stones?"
Victor made no reply.
"Ah; I see!" exclaimed Grimaudan, "you want me to pay for the
information."
"No....but....I am afraid I will starve to death."
"So! that is why you hesitate. Well, I'll not be hard on you. How
much do you want?"
"Enough to buy a steerage pass to America."
"All right."
"And a hundred francs to keep me until I get work there."
"You shall have two hundred. Now, speak."
"Count the paving-stones to the right from the sewer-hole. The
pearl is between the twelfth and thirteenth."
"In the gutter?"
"Yes, close to the sidewalk."
Grimaudan glanced around to see if anyone were looking. Some tram-
cars and pedestrians were passing. But, bah, they will not suspect
anything. He opened his pocketknife and thrust it between the
twelfth and thirteenth stones.
"And if it is not there?" he said to Victor.
"It must be there, unless someone saw me stoop down and hide it."
Could it be possible that the back pearl had been cast into the mud
and filth of the gutter to be picked up by the first comer? The
black pearl--a fortune!
"How far down?" he asked.
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