The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-07-26

l y
those diamonds, and We must pawn
them. 1t gricvcs inc to the heart to dc
so, for you looked supurb in thom last
night"
| She blushUd, TUNED pale, stammerCd
o1uivOcltod, asked what the world
would say, and whether there wore nc
other means Of tiding over the Difficult
ty. She was told that there was mono,
| and as for the world hor husband cried
out pa5siOnately that it might say what
1t liked and go hang. She offered him
all her other trinkets; he told her dis.
dainfully that, altogether, they would
not fetch a hundred pounds, and that
he must have the diamonds. She said
family that she could not let him have
them. He stared ut her for some mo.
| mCDt5 In blank amazCMCnt; and then,
| passing from cntreaty to command,
insisted on having the jewels immodi-
aiely; adding, that il she did not in
5tantly obey him, IL would take them
from her by forcc. Sick with terror
ana apprehension Of discovery, the
WrCtched woman went up stairs, and
returning, brought the morocco case,
and laid it tremblingly on the table.
She remembered the fal5ity of the
stones, and the marrow in her spino
turned cold.
After night spent in infinite and
slecpless wretchedncss, the cheerless
morning came. Mr.. and Mrs. Mellor
drove in their elegant brougham down
to Beaufort Buildings, Strand, at tho
corner OF which, at the time OF which 1
speak, was the woll-known pawn. .brok-
ing establishment OF Mr.. Amos Scantle-
berry. They entered The private of.
fCe," in which loans of too much i'm
portanco to discuss in the vulgar boxes
where the poor pawnod their clothes,
were negotiated, and the diamonds
We're submitted 10 MI. Amos Scantle-
berry, who was roputcd TO be one Of
the best judges OF precious stones in
Europe. That gentleman examined
Mrs. Mcllor's diamonds infinitely,
weighed and tested them, and did not
hesitate for the moment to advance on
them the sum required-fOur hundred
pounds sterling lie paid over the
amount at once in bank notes, and q
bond for the loan at rate of interest
agreed upon, was made out. This doc
ument Mr.. Mellor handed to his wife.
telling her, sardonicaIly, that she might
very soon redeem her iinery If she
would only practice q little economy
! for a timc.
She went home half distracted. In
the course of few hours she was GER.
tain The spurious nature of the gems
must be discovered, and her husband
would be prosecuted for fraud. What
was She 10 do? He would not have
killed her had she confessed that her
real diamonds were in the possession of
| Madame Schumacher. But then those
embezzlcd funds belonged to the bank,
and tho awful peril he was in. 1t was
too Late, and something must be done.
She sat for hours revolving in her mind
scheme after scheme, but none seemed
practicable. At length, with shame
and horror and ghastly loathing, she
hit upon one which appeared feasible.
She could borrow eight hundred pounds;
somebody had told her so over and over
again. Why had she not gone to him
when the hag Schumacher oppressed
her? Because she was afraid and
ashamed. But the worse was come
now, and she must brave it.
Somebody" was Mr.. Algcrnon Moss
by, an acquaintance of Mr.. MelIor's, q
frequent visitor, who lived in grand
style at the Albany; and rs he sat in
his Office one day, Mrs. MellOr rushed
il and Do5ought him TO save her from
utter ruin and destruction. Mir. Mossby
behaved with thorough gallantry. lie
admitted that eight hundred pounds
was very largo sum, but he thought,
no said, that he would at once oblige
her with check for the amount. For
ali security he merely demanded her
note of hand, payable on demand for
eight hundred pounds and for "value
received"
"That is enough, my dear Mrs. Mel
lor" said Mr.. Algernon Mossby, Us he
handed her the check and locked up
the promissory note in the cash box. "l
make my demand all in good time"
Half distraught she fastened to Mr..
Scantlebcrry's, stopping on her way at
the bank to get the check cashed. Mr..
Scantlcberry seemed somewhat sur
prised to see her, but on her roprOduc.
ing the loan bond and the requisite
money handed her over the diamonds
| She hurried then to Madame Schu-
makers in Foley Street, who was de
lighted to see hcr; the more so, she
said, rs she was starting for Rotterdam
| that very evening. TO her Mrs. Mel.
| Tor handed the sum Of four hundred
and lifty pounds, and received her jewel
case and her own diamonds. Now she
! felt relieved. She would hastGn back
to Mr.. Scantleberry's repaWn her dia.
mOnds, and then give Mossby back
half his money. He would surely wait
| lbI tHt IcoA' ~ W 40 lOul III NiAO
noon ere she reached Beaufort Build.
ings, and in few whalf-incoherent words
explained that, through unforeseen
events, she was compelled to renew the
transaction of the previous day. The
pawn-broker bowed, observed that such
things frequently happened in the way
of business, and proceeded to examine
the jewels-merely, he observed, rs q
matter of form. Mrs. Mellor felt per-
fcctly at ease as he weighed and tested
them; in this, ut least, there was no
fraud, she thought.
suddenly the pawn-brokcr fixed upon
her searching glance.
"Theso are not The stones you brought
me yesterday, madame" he said.
"At all events" Mrs. Mellor taltorod,
| T,,1J