The Jew went out early in the morning to his shop in that part of the town where the jewellers sell their goods.  Thither his wife followed, and told him the discovery she had made.  She gave him an account of the size and weight of the diamond as nearly as she could guess, also of its beauty, water, and lustre, and particularly of the light which it gave in the night according to my wife’s account, which was the more credible as she was uninformed.

The Jew sent his wife immediately to treat, to offer her a trifle at first, as she should think fit, and then to raise her price by degrees; but be sure to bring it, cost what it would.  Accordingly his wife came again to mine privately, and asked her if she would take twenty pieces of gold for the piece of glass she had shown her.

My wife, thinking the sum too considerable for a mere piece of glass as she had thought it, would not make any bargain; but told her, she could not part with it till she had spoken to me.  In the mean time I came from my work to dinner.  As they were talking at the door, my wife stopped me, and asked if I would sell the piece of glass she had found in the fish’s belly for twenty pieces of gold, which our neighbour offered her.  I returned no answer; but reflected immediately on the assurance with which Saad, in giving me the piece of lead, told me it would make my fortune.  The Jewess, fancying that the low price she had offered was the reason I made no reply, said, “I will give you fifty, neighbour, if that will do.”

As soon as I found that she rose so suddenly from twenty to fifty, I told her that I expected a great deal more.  “Well, neighbour,” said she, “I will give you a hundred, and that is so much, I know not whether my husband will approve my offering it.”  At this new advance, I told her I would have a hundred thousand pieces of gold for it; that I saw plainly that the diamond, for such I now guessed it must be, was worth a great deal more, but to oblige her and her husband, as they were neighbours, I would limit myself to that price, which I was determined to have; and if they refused to give it, other jewellers should have it, who would give a great deal more.

The Jewess confirmed me in this resolution, by her eagerness to conclude a bargain; and by coming up at several biddings to fifty thousand pieces, which I refused.  “I can offer you no more,” said she, “without my husband’s consent.  He will be at home at night; and I would beg the favour of you to let him see it, which I promised.”

At night when the Jew came home, his wife told him what she had done; that she had got no forwarder with my wife or me; that she offered, and I had refused, fifty thousand pieces of gold; but that I had promised to stay till night at her request.  He observed the time when I left off work, and came to me.  “Neighbour Hassan”, said he, “I desire you would shew me the diamond your wife shewed to mine.”  I brought him in, and shewed it to him.  As it was very dark, and my lamp was not lighted, he knew instantly, by the light the diamond gave, and by the lustre it cast in my hand, that his wife had given him a true account of it.  He looked at and admired it a long time.  “Well, neighbour,” said he, “my wife tells me she offered you fifty thousand pieces of gold:  I will give you twenty thousand more.”