شاهزاده و جوینده‌ی الماس

Chapter three

The Prince and the Diamond Hunter

The more Mr Rolles looked at the Rajah’s Diamond, the more he was attracted to it. It was as large as a duck’s egg! Mr Rolles next did something very unusual for his character. He quickly looked around the garden to see if anyone was there. When he saw that no one was there, he quickly put the box with the diamond inside his pocket. Then he quietly left the garden and took it back to his room. Now Mr Rolles was a thief!

Mr Rolles still needed to talk to his landlord so he returned to the garden. A few minutes later the police inspector arrived with Harry Hartley. Terrified, Mr Raeburn immediately gave back all the diamonds he had. As for Mr Rolles, he told the police what he knew, and added, ‘I suppose your investigation is finished now.’

‘Oh no! We’re still missing some other jewels. There’s a magnificent tiara and also the most valuable piece, the Rajah’s Diamond,’ answered the inspector.

‘I suppose you’ll find it soon. It must be very difficult to sell such a famous diamond,’ replied Mr Rolles nervously.

‘Not really; the thief can cut the diamond into smaller pieces. Then he can sell them separately,’ said the inspector.

After everyone left, Mr Rolles returned to his room. He was happy that now he knew how to sell the diamond. There was only one problem: he did not know how to cut diamonds. He looked in all his books, which had no useful advice at all, but then he remembered an old friend in Edinburgh.

‘Of course! Why didn’t I think of it before? My friend’s a jeweller - he can teach me how to cut diamonds,’ thought Mr Rolles.

He decided he could not wait so he decided to take the night train to Edinburgh the next day. The following afternoon, he left his bags at the railway station because his train was not leaving until the evening. He had time to have dinner at his club first.

He met a friend of his when he arrived at the club.

‘You’re lucky to be here tonight. Prince Florizel of Bohemia and John Vandeleur are having dinner here,’ said his friend.

‘I know Sir Thomas Vandeleur, but I have never met his brother,’ Mr Rolles replied.

‘Well, John Vandeleur is a great adventurer. He travels around the world looking for diamonds. He knows all about them,’ said his friend.

When he heard this, Mr Rolles suddenly became very interested in the two men.

‘You must try to listen to their conversation. I’m sure it’s going to be very interesting,’ added his friend.

‘But how will I know who they are,’ asked Mr Rolles.

‘Oh, you can’t miss them! Prince Florizel is the finest gentleman in Europe. John Vandeleur is about seventy, with long, white hair and a scar across his face,’ answered his friend.

Mr Rolles hurried to the dining room. It was not difficult to find the Prince and John Vandeleur. The two of them sat at a table together, and were talking intently. There was no one at the table nearest to theirs.

‘Good! This is my big chance,’ thought Mr Rolles as he sat down at the table. He tried to listen to what the two men were saying.

‘Did you hear that someone stole the Rajah’s Diamond from my brother Thomas,’ asked John Vandeleur.

‘Yes, I heard all about it. I think that diamond should be at the bottom of the sea,’ replied Prince Florizel. ‘It’s dangerous. It makes people behave in strange ways.’

‘As a diamond hunter, and a Vandeleur, I can’t agree with you,’ said John Vandeleur. He seemed to be a bit angry.

‘You may not agree with me, but a diamond worth so much money can have great power. It can make people do very strange things,’ said Prince Florizel.

‘That’s right. I’ll do anything to find the Rajah’s Diamond. I’m sure I will one day because I’m the best diamond hunter in the world,’ cried John Vandeleur fiercely.

When he heard these words, Mr Rolles suddenly felt very frightened.

‘Oh, what if he finds out I have the Rajah’s Diamond,’ thought Mr Rolles. Then he looked at his watch.

‘I must leave now or I’ll miss my train,’ he thought.

A short time later, Mr Rolles got on his train. He felt happy when the conductor said, ‘You’re lucky! Tonight there is only one other gentleman sharing your carriage.’

But Mr Rolles was not happy for very long. He took a seat in his compartment. A man smoking a cigar was standing in the corridor. As the man turned around, Mr Rolles’s heart jumped! He had a scar across his face. Mr Rolles was filled with fear: the other gentleman was John Vandeleur!