Why, I did not learn until later.
"At last one night, during a terrific thunder storm, the
leader of the diamond makers--Folwell--announced that I could now
see the stones made. The men had been preparing their chemicals
for some days previous. I was taken into a small chamber of the
cave, and there saw quite a complicated apparatus. Part of it was
a great steel box, with a lever on it.
"We will let you make some diamonds for yourself," Folwell said
to me, and he directed me to pull the lever of the box, at a
certain signal. The signal came, just as a terrific crash of
thunder shook the very mountain inside of which we were. The box
of steel got red-hot, and when it cooled off it was opened, and
was given a handful of white stones."
"Were they diamonds?" asked Tom, eagerly.
Mr. Jenks held out one hand. In the palm glittered a large
stone--ostensibly a diamond. In the rays of the moon it showed
all the colors of the rainbow--a beautiful gem. "That is one of
the stones I made--or rather that I supposed I had made," went on
Mr. Jenks. "It is one of several I have, but they have not all
been cut and polished as has this one.
"Naturally I was much impressed by what I saw, and, after I had
made certain tests which convinced me that the stones in the
steel box were diamonds, I paid over the money as I had promised.
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