“But,” Conseil asked, “haven’t certain famous pearls been quoted at extremely high prices?”
“Yes, my boy. They say Julius Caesar gave Servilia a pearl worth 120,000 francs in our currency.”
“I’ve even heard stories,” the Canadian said, “about some lady in ancient times who drank pearls in vinegar.”
“It must have tasted pretty bad,” Ned Land added.
“Abominable, Ned my friend,” Conseil replied. “But when a little glass of vinegar is worth 1,500,000 francs, its taste is a small price to pay.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t marry the gal,” the Canadian said, throwing up his hands with an air of discouragement.
“Ned Land married to Cleopatra?” Conseil exclaimed.
“But I was all set to tie the knot, Conseil,” the Canadian replied in all seriousness, “and it wasn’t my fault the whole business fell through. I even bought a pearl necklace for my fiancée, Kate Tender, but she married somebody else instead. Well, that necklace cost me only $1.50, but you can absolutely trust me on this, professor, its pearls were so big, they wouldn’t have gone through that strainer with twenty holes.”
“My gallant Ned,” I replied, laughing, “those were artificial pearls, ordinary glass beads whose insides were coated with Essence of Orient.”
“Wow!” the Canadian replied. “That Essence of Orient must sell for quite a large sum.”
“As little as zero! It comes from the scales of a European carp, it’s nothing more than a silver substance that collects in the water and is preserved in ammonia. It’s worthless.”
“Maybe that’s why Kate Tender married somebody else,” replied Mr. Land philosophically.
“But,” I said, “getting back to pearls of great value, I don’t think any sovereign ever possessed one superior to the pearl owned by Captain Nemo.”
“This one?” Conseil said, pointing to a magnificent jewel in its glass case.
“Exactly. And I’m certainly not far off when I estimate its value at 2,000,000 . . . uh . . .”
“Yes,” I said, “2,000,000 francs, and no doubt all it cost our captain was the effort to pick it up.”
“Ha!” Ned Land exclaimed. “During our stroll tomorrow, who says we won’t run into one just like it?”
“What good would a pearl worth millions do us here on the Nautilus?”
“Here, no,” Ned Land said. “But elsewhere. . . .”