The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-22

Il
of an era of terrestrial paradise"
Truly, an age of bliss. But under
what special influence do you think, NJ.
De Sanluc, that this necklace was fash
ionedw
when Greece, with Alexander at its
head, overran the world, his spoil was
Egypt; then Egypt, as huge fragment,
after the eonquerer's death, fell to the Lot
of Ptolemy Sotor. But Greece and
Egypt must have been on intimate terms
long before. When Italy was barbsr-
ous country, scarcely in sympathy with
the Helene, with Egypt the Greek was
familiar. Alexandra, l believe, was
Greek before the son of Philip gave it
his name. That necklace was made long
anterior to the submission of Egypt, and
must have been carried over to the Nile
country. Some lovely Greek girl, long
prior to Alexander's time, wore it, or it
might have been the priceless dover of a
foreign Princess who married a true
Pharaoh" .r.4l ss.er,r..a W p"r
"Are you quite certain, Monsieur, that
this is the identical necklace~ inquired
the Empress. b e ,tfH
Cor it might have been, being such a
masterful work, the adornment of god
dess. for, thrown around the neck Of q
divinity, the jewelers. art enhanced the
sculptor's work, and gave pretense of
mortal life to the marble. We want
some realism all the time, even in our
belief. We worship very coarse images
to-day, and deck them with shocking
gewgaws. Why should nota Greek have
clasped that necklace around marble
statue, and as ray of light touched the
gold, fancied that. the cold stone was
trembling with the nascent tremor of
lifeT' continued M. De Sanluc, scarce
needing the interruption.
"Come. come, Monsieur" said the EN-
press, "you antiquaries have often to be
taken on parole. Ladies are sometimes
wanting in faith, and do not accept un-
conditionally all they hear, Are you
very certain that this necklace is original
unique? There may be duplicates"
"Never, Madame, not in any museum
or collection in the world. l know all
their catalogues by heart. There is the
whole life Of an inspired poet strung in
golden verse around your Majesty's
neck. Those are not poor lifeless links
of metal, mere trinket, the outcome of
that low condition Of our ornamentations
of to-day. No man that lives now could
make a necklace to match it."
"How was it discovered, thenf" in
quired the Empress. .G #
"You Majesty, it SO happens even to-
day that we find some beautiful women,
who have, in a certain way, outlasted
time. 1t is true that in order to resist
the action of the elements, physical
immortality has been given them.
Their souls have fed, but their bodies,
or the natural elements of them, have
remained; kind Of material defiance"
"Enigmas again, NJ. De Sanluc, and
you are beyond te capacities of your
class am too good Christian to ac-
cept your heretical ideas Of soul and
body" said the Empress, rather gravely.
"Allow me, your Majesty; this class
must permit the Professor to close his
lecture. The most interesting part
have kept for the conclusion. Now,
man is horrid brute-(I ought to be
applauded here) "a sacrileeious wretch ;
nothing better than a vulture. Well,
sometimes your arch@ologist becomes a
hyena, and when he finds one Of these
great ladies who have bloomed over two
or three thousand years ago, what does
he do? The class will answer"
"Eats them upY" inquired the Princess
Metternich.
"By no manner of means, Madame.
Firstly, after certain amount of tacit
admiration, the hand Of the possessor is
placed on her throat. No, he does not
throttle her. Its roundness is sascertained.
There may or may not be sensuous de-
light in the touch. The examination
goes further. What was once the bust,
swelling with life, is followed. Some
thing stops the sliding of the finger, a
slight obstruction, as it were, and then
he divines that ages on ages ago loving
hand had attired that woman with a
necklace. Then comes moment of de-
liriunl, which only collector feels. No
excitement of the gambler hazarding his
last louis at Baden can equal it, for
around that neck or bosom may be either
priceless necklace or only a string of
the cheapest beads. Anxiously we strip
the neck"
"Tbis is profanity sacrilege-and
yet I do not quite understand you, sir, !"
cried the Empress, her face now deadly
pale. .s.a ss ri
zone month ago." said M. De Sanlue
gaily, II was invited by leading antiq-
uary to look at lady. The minute 1
passed my hand over her, (though my
pulse beat, I kept bravely on) was sure
there was necklace. Then, for the first
time, after lapse Of many thousands
of years, tore from the cerement cloth
and brought triumphantly to light that
brightest star of Greek work, which now
itly adorns the neck Of the Empress of
France" ~ pT
"AndIit came, it:came, Monsieur-from
-fromf" asked the Empress, in a trem-
ulous voice. g.,1,.'4 e.. s,.,,.-
"From mumyp ar5
There was a snort, sharp cry from the
it'll