I thought that if there was any danger my first care was to avert
suspicion. Accordingly I began to work the conversation round to
rag-picking--to the drains--of the things found there; and so by easy
stages to jewels. Then, seizing a favourable opportunity, I asked the
old woman if she knew anything of such things. She answered that she
did, a little. I held out my right hand, and, showing her the diamond,
asked her what she thought of that. She answered that her eyes were bad,
and stooped over my hand. I said as nonchalantly as I could: 'Pardon me!
You will see better thus!' and taking it off handed it to her. An unholy
light came into her withered old face, as she touched it. She stole one
glance at me swift and keen as a flash of lightning.

She bent over the ring for a moment, her face quite concealed as though
examining it. The old man looked straight out of the front of the shanty
before him, at the same time fumbling in his pockets and producing a
screw of tobacco in a paper and a pipe, which he proceeded to fill. I
took advantage of the pause and the momentary rest from the searching
eyes on my face to look carefully round the place, now dim and shadowy
in the gloaming. There still lay all the heaps of varied reeking
foulness; there the terrible blood-stained axe leaning against the wall
in the right hand corner, and everywhere, despite the gloom, the baleful
glitter of the eyes of the rats. I could see them even through some of
the chinks of the boards at the back low down close to the ground. But
stay! these latter eyes seemed more than usually large and bright and
baleful!

For an instant my heart stood still, and I felt in that whirling
condition of mind in which one feels a sort of spiritual drunkenness,
and as though the body is only maintained erect hi that there is no time
for it to fall before recovery. Then, in another second, I was calm