He was living at that time in the rue du Coeur-Volant.

I succeeded in becoming the tenant of the room adjoining his; and one night, through a gimlet hole I had drilled in the partition, I saw my man take the case of diamonds from a very cleverly contrived hiding-place.

He sat for an hour gazing at them and fondling them; he made them sparkle in the light, he pressed them passionately to his lips.

The man actually loved those diamonds for themselves, and had never thought of turning them to money." "I understand," said Cerizet,--"a mania like that of Cardillac, the jeweller, which has now been dramatized." "That is just it," returned du Portail; "the poor wretch was in love with that casket; so that when, shortly after, I entered his room and told him I knew all, he proposed to me to leave him the life use of what he called the consolation of his old age, pledging himself to make Mademoiselle de la Peyrade his sole heir, revealing to me at the same time the existence of a hoard of gold (to which he was adding every day), and also the possession of a house and an investment in the Funds." "If he made that proposal in good faith," said Cerizet, "it was a desirable one.

The interest of the capital sunk in the diamonds was more than returned by that from the other property." "You now see, my dear sir," said du Portail, "that I was not mistaken in trusting him.