“Now, gentlemen, on the table before you there are about thirty million dollars’ worth of diamonds,” Mr. Wynne announced calmly.  “They are all perfect, every one of them; and they’re mine.  I know where they come from; you can’t find out.  It’s none of your business.  Are you satisfied now?”

Mr. Latham looked, looked until his eyes seemed bursting from his head, and then, with an inarticulate little cry, fell forward on the table with his face on his arms.  The German importer came to his feet with one vast Teutonic oath, then sat down again; Mr. Solomon plunged his hand into the blazing heap and laughed senselessly.  The others were silent, stunned, overcome.  Mr. Wynne walked around the table and replaced the spheres and replicas in his pocket, after which he resumed his former position.

“I have stated my case, gentlemen,” he continued quietly, very quietly.  “Now for my proposition.  Briefly it is this:  For a consideration I will destroy the unlimited supply.  I will bind myself to secrecy, as you must; I will guarantee that no stone from the same source is ever offered in the market or privately, while you gentlemen,” and his manner was emphatically deliberate, “purchase from me at one-half the carat price you now pay one hundred million dollars’ worth of diamonds!”

He paused.  There was not a sound; no one moved.

“You may put them on the market as you may agree, slowly, thus preventing any material fluctuation in value,” he went on.  “How to hold this tremendous reserve secretly and still permit the operation of the other diamond mines of the world is the great problem you will have to face.”

He leaned over, picked up a handful from the heap and replaced them in the leather bag.  The others he swept off into it, then snapped the lock.

“I will give you one week to decide what you will do,” he said in conclusion.  “If you accept the proposition, then six weeks from next Thursday at three o’clock I shall expect a cash payment of ten million dollars for a portion of the stones now cut and ready; within a year all the diamonds will have been delivered and the transaction must be closed.”  He hesitated an instant.  “I’m sorry, gentlemen, if the terms seem hard, but I think, after consideration, you will agree that I have done you a favor by coming to you instead of going into the market and destroying it.  I will call next Thursday at three for your answer.  That is all.  Good day!”

The door opened and closed behind him.  A minute, two minutes, three minutes passed and no one spoke.  At last the German came to his feet slowly with a sigh.

“Anyhow, gendlemens,” he remarked, “dat young man has a hell of a lod of diamonds, ain’d id?”

CHAPTER V

THE ASTUTE MR. BIRNES