Part 16 (1/2)
There was a short silence ”Mr Fraser said I h said, in a doubtful tone
”I expect he guessed that you wouldn't find any,” Jerry responded
”But a dia If it really is a diamond it is probably pretty valuable--perhaps it is worth a hundred pounds You can't walk off with a hundred pounds without telling”
”Well, we'll show it to hih answered
”It's my diamond,” Grizzel declared ”I found it and I rubbed it and it slept under my pillow, and I hid it and I love it and it's mine
I don't care what anybody says”
”Mr Fraser will ested soothingly, ”and then you can go and buy so nicer than a diamond”
”I don't want lots of money I want my own dear little stone that I rubbedto her eyes ”Why should Mr Fraser takeknives? It's mine I found it”
”You'll have to show it to hih said decisively, ”whether you found it or not If you keep it you will be a thief, and perhaps you will be sent to prison”
”Then I'd rather let it go back to its home in the river bed,”
Grizzel cried passionately As she spoke she snatched the crystal froht--a splash--and it was gone
She turned and ran, sobbing and crying Prudence followed, bent upon coed his shoulders:
”Just like a girl!” he said ”It doesn't ood diamond; I'd have liked to show it to Mr
Fraser We'd better collect our things and go hoered behind His quick eyes, trained to watching the flight of balls of all sizes froolf-balls, had taken accurate note of the spot where that little splash had been There were still circles widening round it The creek looked shallow just there
”If I scooped up the sand carefully _now_, as likely as not I'd retrieve that stone,” he said to himself ”Grizzel is a decent little kid; she'll be sorry by and by, and, besides, the old chap ought to have his diamond if it really is a diah seems to think That white stone is almost in the middle of the circle--I'll make for that”
”Don't wait forin a jiff” He waited till he saw them turn their somewhat dejected and preoccupied backs upon the scene of the late disaster, and then transferred his attention to the creek At the point where he stood the water was comparatively deep; it had evidently formed a channel for itself, helped, probably, by a slender waterfall which dropped over a large boulder on the higher ground some distance beyond the fallen tree
”I can crawl over that and drop off at the shallow part,” he thought, ”I'll have to look sharp or the circles will be gone”
He rolled up his already short flannels and started The tree was by no ht; but, as the worst that could happen would be a good soaking, he did not worry overmuch, and soon slid off into the shallow stream As he had predicted, the water there barely reached to his knees He scrutinized the ever-widening circle, now faint and irregular, and, calculating the distance froe to its centre, he fixed his eyes intently upon the white stone and cautiously waded towards it, hisup the last traces of the circle When he reached the white stone he halted
”It was here, almost to a T, orcarefully, he scooped up a double handful of shi+ngly sand fro the water run away through his tightly closed fingers As he bent his head to examine the pebbles left in his hand, a sunbeareen
”Got it, by jinks!” he chuckled exultantly ”First go-off! Good for you, Richard, my boy--your eye is pretty well in and nodiaraphing with”
dick soon scra after the others, now far ahead ”I'll put him back in the hollow trunk where Grizzel hid hiht be rather a lark--”
A sharp sprint brought hi his arrival seated on the top of a slip-rail, Mollie having gone in search of Prudence and Grizzel
”What on earth have you been doing?” Hugh de a look round,” dick answered, with a wink at Jerry; ”I thought I'd do a little prospecting on my own”