With politeness, but without interest, the gentleman took it.
But after the first glance all his body suddenly stiffened, as a
pointer's does when he sees a partridge.

'Excuse me,' he said in quite a changed voice, and carried the
charm to the window. He looked at it; he turned it over. He
fixed his spy-glass in his eye and looked again. No one said
anything. Only Robert made a shuffling noise with his feet till
Anthea nudged him to shut up. At last the learned gentleman drew
a long breath.

'Where did you find this?' he asked.

'We didn't find it. We bought it at a shop. Jacob Absalom the
name is--not far from Charing Cross,' said Cyril.

'We gave seven-and-sixpence for it,' added Jane.

'It is not for sale, I suppose? You do not wish to part with it?

I ought to tell you that it is extremely
valuable--extraordinarily valuable, I may say.'

'Yes,' said Cyril, 'we know that, so of course we want to keep
it.'

'Keep it carefully, then,' said the gentleman impressively; 'and
if ever you should wish to part with it, may I ask you to give me
the refusal of it?'