Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-02-24

some CHINA at the IufJncT emu vi lle IOOHl
You come this way and | will show you"
The trio threaded their way to remote
corner of the sale-room, passing as rapidly
as might be great quantity of very hand
some china, which was arranged and tick
eted ready for the sale. At the end, re-
mote from the door and near the rostrum,
under two glass moulds. on table stood
their own two vases.
"There, look at that" remarks the
friend, complacently, with the gentle pat
ronage of superior knowledge. THAT is
china if you like-worth any other ten
pieces in the room. Quite unique!"
"Hang i'll" said Mr. Fitzroy. 81 need
not have come all this way to see those
vases. Why, they are mine"
"Yours, Fitzroy! | like that! You
have turned humorist in your old age
Don't you wish they were, by Jove! You
must take care of your husband, Mrs.
Fitzroy. He works too hard"
"Thank you for the insinuation, Somer-
set. | am sane enough to know my own
property when l see it, tell you those
vases that you think such a lot of are
mine. / sent them to Christie" The
tone and the words were too earnest to be
mistaken.
BY this time the bystanders had heard
the coloquy, and had gathered the import
of what was passing. The dealer swarm
ed round Mr.. Fitzroy like vultures upon
carrion. They took the facts and the
"greenness" in at glance.
II viii give you vive 'undred pound for
those vases" 81 will give you six 'undred
pound for those vases" 81 will give you
eight 'undred pound for those vases" 81
will give you more than any man in Eng
land for those vases on the table, sir"
Such were the cries which resounded on all
hands. Jew and Gentle for once had
found a subject on which they could agree.
Mr.. Fitzroy was perfectly bewildered, and
ran considerable risk of being reduced to
the condition Somerset had suggested pre-
viously. The latter, who was an old hand,
came to his rescue.
Don't be fool, Fitzroy. If they real
ly are yours, keep cool head on your
shoulders. They tell me kilograms have
been on the go all over Europe about those
vases today. They are worth a mint of
money. Don't part to any of these
sharks"
On the steps of the hall the barrister
would have taken twenty pounds for his
chances from that days sale with cheerful
alacrity.
Mrs. Fitzroy was looking very white.
The sudden turn affairs had taken was al
most too much for her.
"Don't faint, my dear" remarked her
husband. The advice was needed She
felt very like it, But woman's buttress,
curiosity to see the end, sustained her. If
a woman were not curious, she would die
more often than she does.
The sale began. Count Mirabeau's col
lection was sold first. The junior partner
was the auctioneer. The counts china
was indeed magnificent, and duly appreci-
ated. The bidding was active and the
prices adequate. Nevertheless, throughout
there was a restless feeling of Impotence.
More was coming. The bonnie bouche
was kept to the last.
There was pause. Then, amidst loud
applause and great excitement, to which il
may be imagined the Fitzroys were not
wholly insensble, the two vases were
placed before Mr. Woods, the auctioneer
in full view of the audience. When 81
lence supervened Mr.. Woods said:
Gentlemen, we know next to nothing
about this china which stands before you
and of which you have just testified YOU
approval. We cannot give you its detailed
history. All we know is that these vases
have been hidden away in a country rec
tory in the Midlands for forty years ant
more. Anything further back seems to be
absolutely uncertain. One thing, however
we do know absolutely: the tinting is tn,
real Rose du Barri. We thought there
were only five vases in Europe, the fines
existing examples of this beautiful ware
We now know there are seven. The sixth
and seventh stand before you, gentlemen
, Another round of applause greeted tn,
conclusion of this short speech. The bid
ding began. Mr.. and Mrs. James Fitzrol
stood in the corner unnoticed, breathles
with suppressed excitement. No one heed
r ed them. They again played second fiddl,
to their own property.
> Five hundred pounds was the first biz
for the pair. A cheer emphasized tn
, spirited start. A cool thousand was, how
ever soon reached. Then there was
pause, amid silence which could be felt ant
} almost heard Only three bidders wer
2 left. Every one understood that they wer
gathering up their forces for the final con
q flict.
e st is against you, my lord" the auC
: tioneer remarked, quietly.
p The hint was taken, and the bidding be
e gan again. "Fifteen hundred guineas.
An unanswerabe argument. The hamme
= falls. The crowd cheers. The wealthies
[ ! III EllSldHu 10 Ilt
: Mr.. James Fitzroy is the Weather by on
: thousand five hundred pounds. Mrs. Fitz
v roy marks her appreciation of the gravit
Y of the situation and her own good luck i
4 true feminine fashion, by promptly fainting
n 1t reads like romance, yet happens t
e be perfectly true.
J, About the same time girl chances
d die of starvation. Nobody need do that 1
e England, as Mr.. Scrooge in his palmy days
before the ghosts got to tampering wit
II him, would have taken care to point ou
h But they do, occasionally, all the SAINT
: The public resents it very naturally as ba
form. One of the weekly papers saw fit I
|, couple the episode of the vases and tn
r death of the girl together, although tn
j. two things were quite distinct. The effol
It was lyrical, and the last couplet ran:
d but she was only common clay,
q And these were Rose du Barri."
h A puff of smoke rises up into the a
: and curls in graceful spiral curves to I'll
n ceiling, where it hovers until its identity
lost, owing to the fact of its being joine
g by other unsubstantial emanatiOns frol
?. the same source.
"a "But you are Robert FitzrOyP" querl'
the listener who had been silent for fin