Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-09-04
~ Wbieb is Told a TbrilIipe StoD
Of Ba1led Crime.

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then Ralph, giving an arm to Lady
Mary, who suffered from rheumatism in
her foot. Then came the gong, and
there was a rustic down of more people,
young and old, friends of the family
who had come to act or to see their SONS
and daughters act. As I never could
get even their names right I shall not
attempt to give any account of them,
especially as they are not Of Importance
in any way.
After dinner. on entering the drawing
ROOM, 1 found that great excitement pre-
vailed among the ladies respecting Sir
John's jewels. About his sad fate and
costly legacy they all seemed fully in
formed. l had myself almost forgotten
the reason of my visit in my interest in
my new surroundings, not having even
rs yet given up the jewels to Sir George
Danvers or Ralph; but at the urgent re-
quest of all the ladies at once Ralph
begged me to bring them down to be
seen and admired then and there before
the rehearsal began.
''They will all be yours, you know"
Ralph said to Aurelia. "You shall wear
them on your wedding day"
"You are. always talking about being
married." said Aurelia, with a little
pout. II wish you would try and think
of something else to a V was quite
looking forward to it myself until 1
came here, and now l am quite, quite
tired of it beforehand"
Ralph laughed delightedly, and Sir
| Hoo,,a ~orni,1ipp mr. that ay-ar-pnn rroo
dying of anxiety, himself included, l ran
upstairs to take the brown bag from
around my neck, and in a few minutes
returned with it in my hand. They were
all waiting for me, Lady Mary drawn
up in IN arm chair beside an ebony table,
on which a small space near her had been
| cleared, Charles alone holding rather
aloof, slipping his coffee with his back to
the fire.
Don't jostle." he said, Is they all
crowded round me. Evelyn, let me
beg of you not to elbow forward in that
unbecoming manner. Observe how Aunt
Mary restraints herself. Take time, Mid
dleton! your coffee is getting cold.
Won't you drink it frst?'
AS he finished speaking I turned the
contents of the bag upon the table. The
jewels in the bright lamplight seemed
to blaze and burn into the ebony Of the
table. There was a general gasp, a
silence, and then a chorus of admiration.
Charles came up behind me and looked
ove my shoulder.
Good graciousl" said Lady Mary
solemnly. Ralph, you are a rich man.
Why, mine arc nothing to them!" and
she touched a diamond and emerald
necklace on her own neck. 81 never
knew poor Sir John had SO much good
in him."
"Oh, Ralph, Ralph" cried Aurelia,
clasping her little hands with a deep
sigh. "And will they really be my very
own?"
Ralph assured her that they would,
and that she should act in them the fol-
lowing nightif she liked.
l think there was not a woman pres
emit who did not envy Aurelia as Ralph
took up a flashing diamond crescent and
| held it against her fair hair. / saw Eve
lyn turn away and begin to tear mp a
small piece of paper in her hand. Wo-
men are very jealous of each other, es-
pecially the nice, by which 1 mean the
pretty ones. l was sorry to see jealousy
so plainly marked in such a charming
looking girl as Evelyn, but women are
all the same about jewels. Aurelia
blushed and sparkled and pouted when
the clasp caught in her hair, and shook
her little head impatiently and was alto
gether enchanting.
After the first burst of admiration had
subsidized Gen. Marston, an old Indian
officer who had been somewhat in the
rear, came up and looked long at the
glittering mass upon the table.
care you aware" he said at last to
Ralph, pointing to the crescent, ''that
those diamonds are of enormous value2
I have not seen such tones in any shop
in London. I dare not say what that one
crescent alone is worth, or that emerald
bracelet. Jewels of such value as this
are a grave responsibility" He stood
shaking his head a little and turning the
crescent in his hand. Wonderful" he
said, wonderful! Do not tear up that
piece of rice paper, Miss Derrick" he add
ed, taking it from her. "The crescent was
wrapped In it, and I will put it round
it again. All these stones want polish
ing, and many of them resetting. They
ought not to be tumbled together this
way in a bag, with nothing to prevent
them scratching each other. See, Ralph,
here is a clasp broken, and here are
some loose stones, and this star has no
clasp at all. You must take them up to
some trustworthy jeweler and have
them thoroughly looked over"
II SUI .sose the second son was spe-
cially mentioned, Middleton said
Charles, as I drew back to let the rest
handle and admire.
"Of course" said Lady Mary sharply;
land a very fortunate thing, too"
"Very-for Ralph" he replied. 1T is
really providential that / am what I am.
Why, 1 might have ruined the dear
boys prospects if l had paid my ~tailor's
bill, and lived in the country among the
buttercups and daisies. All, my dear
aunt, as 1 see you are about to remark,
how all things here below work together
for goodi"
Il was not going to remark anything
Of the kind" retorted Lady Mary, draw
ing herself up; ''but," she added spite
fully, II do not feel the less rejoiced at
Ralph's good fortune and prosperity
when l see, as I often do, the ungodly
fourishing like a green bay tree"
"Of course" said Charles, shaking his
head, 'if that is your own experience
bow before it. But for my wi part
must confess I have not found it SO.
Flourish like a green bay tree! No, Aunt
Mary, it is a fallacy. They don't. am
sure I only wish they did. But l see the
rehearsal is beginning. May I give you
an arm to the hall?''
The offer was entirely disregarded,
and it was with the help Of mine that
Lady Mary retired from an unequal
combat, which she never seemed able to
resist provoking anew, and In which she
was Invariably worssed, causing her, az
I could see, to regard Charles with the
concentrated bitterness Of which a Sc
vsrely good woman alone is capable.
soon perceived that Charles wa or
the same amicable terms with his ia
Their, that they rarely spoke, and that il
was evidently only with a view to keep
ing up appearances that he was ever in,
vited to the patsrnai roof at all. Be
tween the brothers. howevex. In spite o
40 much to Ax$rnnUn thnra CaxAafr