Her eyes sparkled.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "I know it would! I can feel it!"

It was so. Whatever there was in the bit of sapphirine blue, it
had life. What was it? It had relation to sex. In the strict line
of fact it was impossible.

When we were alone again I turned to the chemist.

"Is there anything more you uncovered? Did you see anything in the
stone?"

He frowned. "No. Nothing else. This magnetism is the only thing.
Is there anything more?"

Now I hadn't said anything about its one great quality. He hadn't
stumbled across the image of the two men. I couldn't understand
it. I didn't tell him. Perhaps I was wrong. Down inside me I
sensed a subtle reason for secrecy. It is hard to explain. It was
not perverseness; it was a finer distinction; perhaps it was the
influence of the gem. I took it back to the jeweller again and had
it reset.




XV