He examined it carefully, opening and shutting it repeatedly.

It was the same locket that Maria Clara had worn during the fiesta in San Diego and which she had in a moment of compassion given to a leper.
"I like the design," said Simoun.

"How much do you want for it ?" Cabesang Tales scratched his head in perplexity, then his ear, then looked at the women.
"I've taken a fancy to this locket," Simoun went on.

"Will you take a hundred, five hundred pesos?
Do you want to exchange it for something else?
Take your choice here!" Tales stared foolishly at Simoun, as if in doubt of what he heard.

"Five hundred pesos ?" he murmured.
"Five hundred," repeated the jeweler in a voice shaking with emotion.
Cabesang Tales took the locket and made several turns about the room, with his heart beating violently and his hands trembling.