My gentleman had the name in Paris for a rich man, and indeed he was so, though not so immensely rich as people imagined; but that which was fatal to him was, that he generally carried a shagreen case in his pocket, especially when he went to court, or to the houses of any of the princes of the blood, in which he had jewels of very great value.
It happened one day that, being to go to Versailles to wait upon the Prince of , he came up into my chamber in the morning, and laid out his jewel-case, because he was not going to show any jewels, but to get a foreign bill accepted, which he had received from Amsterdam; so, when he gave me the case, he said, 'My dear, I think I need not carry this with me, because it may be I may not come back till night, and it is too much to venture.' I returned, 'Then, my dear, you shan't go.' 'Why?' says he. 'Because, as they are too much for you, so you are too much for me to venture, and you shall not go, unless you will promise me not to stay so as to come back in the night.
'I hope there's no danger', said he, 'seeing that I have nothing about me of any value; and therefore, lest I should, take that too', says he, and gives me his gold watch and a rich diamond which he had in a ring, and always wore on his finger.
'Well, but, my dear', says I, 'you make me more uneasy now than before; for if you apprehend no danger, why do you use this caution? and if you apprehend there is danger, why do you go at all?'
'There is no danger', says he, 'if I do not stay late, and I do not design to do so.'
'Well, but promise me, then, that you won't', says I, 'or else I cannot let you go.'
'I won't indeed, my dear', says he, 'unless I am obliged to it. I assure you I do not intend it; but, if I should, I am not worth robbing now, for I have nothing about me but about six pistoles in my little purse and that little ring', showing me a small diamond ring, worth about ten or twelve pistoles, which he put upon his finger, in the room of the rich one he usually wore.
I still pressed him not to stay late, and he said he would not. 'But if I am kept late', says he, beyond my expectation, I'll stay all night, and come next morning.' This seemed a very good caution; but still my mind was very uneasy about him, and I told him so, and entreated him not to go. I told him I did not know what might be the reason, but that I had a strange terror upon my mind about his going, and that if he did go, I was persuaded some harm would attend him. He smiled, and returned, 'Well, my dear, if it should be so, you are now richly provided for; all that I have here, I give to you.' And with that he takes up the casket or case, 'Here', says he, 'hold your hand; there is a good estate for you in this case; if anything happens to me 'tis all your own. I give it you for yourself; and with that he put the casket, the fine ring, and his gold watch all into my hands, and the key of his scrutoire besides, adding, 'And in my scrutoire there is some money; it is all your own.'
I stared at him as if I was frighted, for I thought all his face looked like a death's-head; and then immediately I thought I perceived his head all bloody, and then his clothes looked bloody too, and immediately it all went off, and he looked as he really did. Immediately I fell a-crying, and hung about him. 'My dear', said I, 'I am frighted to death; you shall not go. Depend upon it some mischief will befall you.' I did not tell
