He abandoned the lodgings house, taking with him his diamonds; this left him in the state in which the narrator has found him: homeless and carrying diamonds which he cannot try to sell without causing suspicion. The narrator thinks the man's story might be genuine, and gives him his business card, but although he has some communication with him for a period, he does not see the man again. Reflecting later on the encounter, he wonders if the man is dead, or will perhaps re-emerge and become famous; he wonders if he missed a business opportunity. See also The Doings of Raffles Haw, an 1891 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle involving an inventor of a process for turning lead into gold References External links 1894 short stories Short stories by H. G. Wells