killing time, till he killed himself. At first the man looked aghast, then afraid, and at last suspicious that his visitor might intend to rob, nay, murder him. He drew back, and placed his hand upon the bell-rope; and having also ascertained that he was himself next the door, prepared to listen to the remainder with a keen suspicious look, which said, as plainly as look could, "You need not think to rob me; I'm up to a thing or two." Truth, however, carries its own conviction; and the auctioneer was under the necessity of believing that a person was before him who meditated destroying himself. Suddenly his features sharpened; something appeared to flash across his mind, or rather his memory.
"You are the very man!" said he, thinking aloud in his hurry.
A few words will explain this ejaculation.
Among the great riches and many curiosities which the gorgeous merchant had gathered, and now wished to disperse, was one that had been thus consigned to the agent:—"Sell it for any thing—nothing—give it away; only, get rid of it."
It was a square piece of shagreen, on which were inscribed some Hebrew characters.
"Sell it!" thought the auctioneer; "why, nobody would give him a farthing for it!"
Still, giving it away was against his principles; and principles, like facts, are stubborn things when
