San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-06
THB VALDEZ SAPPHIRE

composure, Il may have the pleasure
Of showing it to you. 1t is at my bank
er's just now"
Miss Panton's steps were heard in the
han.
"You are well known as connoisseur,
Mr.. Acton" he went on hurriedly. sis
your collection valuable? If so, keep it
safe; don't trust ring off your hand,
or the key of your jewel case out of
your pocket till the house is clear again."
The words rushed from his lips in an
impetuous whisper; he gave me mean
ing glance and departed with his daugh-
ter. went back to the drawing room
my head swimming with bewilderment.
"What! The dear bishop gone!'
screamed Lady Carwitchet from the
central ottoman where she sat, sur
rounded by most Of the gentlemen, all
apparently we'll entertained by her con-
versation. "And l wanted to talk over
old times with him so badly. His poor
wife was my greatest friend. Mira
Montanaro, daughter of the great banker,
you know. It's not possible that that
miserable little prig is my poor Mira's
girl. The heiress of al the Montanaros
in a black lace gown worth twopence!
When l think of her mothers beauty
and her toilets! Does she ever wear
the sapphires? Has any one ever seen
her in them? Eleven large stones in a
lovely antique setting and the great
Valdez sapphire-worth thousands and
thousands-for the pendant" No one
replied. II wanted to get rise out of
the bishop tonight. 1t used to make
him so mad when wore this"
She fumbled at the laces at her throat
and clawed out pendant that hung to
a velvet around her neck fairly gasped
when she moved her hand. A sapphire
of irregular shape flashed out its blue
lightning on US. Such stone! A true,
rich, cornfower blue even by that
wretched artificial light, with soft, vel
vety depths of color and dazzling clear
ness of tint in its lights and shades-a
stone to remember! stretched out my
hand involuntarily, but lady Carwitchet
drew back with coquettish squeal.
"No! no! You mustn't look any closer.
Tell me what you think of it now. Isn't
itpretty?" ....
"Superb," was all could calculate,
staring at the azure splendor of that
miraculous jewel in a sort of trance.
She gave shrill, cackling laugh of
mockery.
"The great Mr.. Acton taken in by a
bit of Palais Royal gimcrackery! What
an advertisement for Bogaerts ct Cie
They are perfect artists in frauds. Don't
you remember their stand at the first
Paris exhibition? They had limitations
there of every celebrated stone; but /
never expected anything made by man
could delude Mr.. Acton, never" And
she went off into another hooking
cackle, and all the idiots around her
haw-hawed knowingly, as if they had
seen the joke all along. was too be-
wildered to reply, which was on the
whole lucky. Il suppose l mustn't tell
why 1 came to give quite big sum in
francs for thisg' she went on, tapping
her closed lips with her closed fan, and
cooking her eye at us all like parrot
wanting to be coaxed to talk. "It's a
queer story"
didn't want to hear her anecdote, es-
pecially as l saw she wanted to tell it.
What did want was to see that pendant
again. She had thrust it back among
her laces, only the loop which held it
to the velvet being visible. 1t was set
with three small sapphires, and even
from a distance ! clearly made them out
to be limitations, and poor ones. felt a
queer thrill of self lnistrust. Was the
large stone no betterI Could |, even for
an instant, have been dazzled by sham,
and sham of that quality? The events
of the evening had Hurried and confused
me. l wished to think them over in
quiet. would go to bed.
My rooms at the Manor are the best
in the house. Leta will have it SO. l
must explain their position for reason
to be understood later. My bedroom is
in the southeast angle of the house; it
opens on one side into a sitting room in
the east corridor, the rest of which is
taken up by the suite Of rooms occupied
by Tom and Leta; and on the other side
into my bathroom, the first room in the
south corridor, where the principal guest
chambers are, to one Of which it was
originally the dressing room. Passing
this room I noticed couple of house
maids preparing it for the night and dis
covered with shiver that Lady Car
witchet was to be my next door neigh
Dor. 1t gave me turn.
The bishops strange warning must
have unnerved me. was perfectly safe
from her ladyship. The disused door
into her room was locked and the key
snfa ON the hnnsakeaner's hnnch. IL