There was a Swiss wood-carving representing a very big hunter on one side of an exceedingly small mountain, and a herd of chamois, disproportionately small for the hunter and large for the mountain, just across the ridge.

This always fascinated us; but there was a small chamois kid for which we felt agonies lest the hunter might come on it and kill it.

There was also a Russian moujik drawing a gilt sledge on a piece of malachite.

Some one mentioned in my hearing that malachite was a valuable marble.

This fixed in my mind that it was valuable exactly as diamonds are valuable.