"To show her a watch, your excellency," he stammered, his mouth
open, his eyes staring. I could detect no flaw in his acting.
"What are you, then?" I said.
"A clockmaker, my lord."
"Has Madame sent for you?"
"No, my lord," he stuttered, trembling.
"Do you want to sell her the watch?"
He muttered that he did; and that he meant no harm by it.
"Show it to me, then," I said curtly.
He grew red at that, and seemed for an instant not to understand.
But on my repeating the order he thrust his hand into his breast,
and producing a parcel began to unfasten it. This he did so
slowly that I was soon for thinking that there was no watch in
it; but in the end he found one and handed it to me.
"You did not make this," I said, opening it.
"No, my lord," he answered; "it is German, and old."
I saw that it was of excellent workmanship, and I was about to
hand it back to him, almost persuaded that I had made a mistake,
when in a second my doubts were solved. Engraved on the thick
end of the egg, and partly erased by wear, was a dog's head,
which I knew to be the crest of the Perrots.
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