The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-06
A MODERN PYGMAuON.
by GRANT ALLEN.

have TO melt them down. Those jewels
as they stood were worth thousands as
antiquities, and the melting pot would
reduce them in less than hall an hour 10
few hundred pounds worth of ordinary
bullion. But YOU mustn't he setimen-
talist il you want to crack cribs! Every
profession imposes upon you IT'S own
special sacrifices. Business is business,
and a few hundred pounds IN your psI-
vate pocket are better, after all, than
any amount of time-honored Etruscan
relics i'm ducal museum.
He stole on the base Of Roman En-
peror's statue, Just observing as he
passed, by the dim light OF has bulls
,ye, the name on its PEDESTAL Com
modus in Hunting Costume from villa
near rusculum. y
The case by its side contained the
'obects OF virtue in gold and precious
stones. which His Magnihcence, the But
Ter, had so highly commended to them.
Mr.. Maurice Miller paused and examined
the trinkets casually. with llght ana
rapid nand and a twist of his wire key
he forced open the case, and helped him
self TO the article which he had noted
that aftern oonas most intrinsically yalu-
able.
"A he did so he looked up. and his eye
caug ht that OF the dying Gladiator"
The dying Gladiator's" stony gaze
seemed 10 be fixed on aim intently. For
a moment he started, remembering at
that iuncIure Joe Stokes worCs, "Ihey
give me the cold shivers, standing there
all the time, as white as a corpse, and
rolling their dead eyes at you. The
Gentleman Burglar drew back pace
and stared fixedly at the statue, turn
ing his light full upon IL. The statues
eyes seemed TO follow him steadfastly.
Anybody who knew anything OF the
methods OF sculpture would have known
at once why, but Mr.. Maurice Miller did
not. The "Dying Gladiator's' eyes had
the pupils deeply sunk and cut in OBJ
liquely: and, according as the light falls
upon them, such eyes seem TO roll and re-
feet il variously. The depth OF the stone
looks as though Illuminated from with
in mysteriously. With the concentrated
rays of the rk-lantern, the illusion was
complete. For second the Gentleman
Burglar really half believed the statue
was glaring at him.
Ii was only for a second. however.
Time, place and action all were momen-
tsrily disconcerting. Yol can't help Ee-
ing nervous when you're robbing a mu-
scum. Next minute he had walked
boldly up to the Dying Gladiator, laid
his hand with firmness on the cool mar
BILE limb, put his exploring little finger
into the rolling eyeballs, and satisfied
himself thoroughly that the Gladiator
was stone and that his eyes wee merely
empty and followed out sockeIs.
The incident nnnerXed- him. however
Joe Stokes words had exercised an un-
wontediy discomposing influence. Still,
business is business, and being man of
parts he returned 70 il sedulously. lie
continued 10 pick cut the objects that suit
ed him best, and then glanced up casually
once more toward the Nymph OF Diana.
Again be gave start. The Nymph OF
Diana was positively smiling at him.
Well she might, indeed; for she had con-
tinued To smile-one might almost say to
simper for near two thousanu years. Yet
that stony smile threw him of his guard
again. Alone in that vast room he APP
preached the statue with hushed breath.
Vague shadows from the sculpture float
ed huge over the ceiling az he moved
his little lamp. The silence seemed to
hum. He almost longed TO see those
white limbs begin TO move. The soli-
tude and the stoniness were enough to
appal him.
He touched the Diana. She was life
less as the Gladiator. Her eyes, not
followed out. but staring like death,
were less and yet, at the same time,
more human than the Others. Her smile
was ghsstly. He retreated with shud-
der. Half unable TO go on. he laid down
his lamp for a moment on the base of the
Commodus.
Alarmed, yet ashamed OF himself he
pulled out his handkerchief and wiped
his clammy brow. AS he did so, he felt
sure the Commodus drew a long breath,
an 1 peered down at him scrrtinizingly.
He was so certain of the fact\ hat, for a
moment, he did net even daretp look up
Then he turned and gazed. And the
Commodus, without moving muscle, of
its stone face, gazed straight down with
its frankly human eyes, focused full
upon him.
Great heavens these eyes were not
stony like the rest, but coored ike life,
and as he stared, they followed him.
nR h. HrQN f.. hfu t,.
Gentleman Burglar stood there, rooted
TO the ground, in speec hless horror. lie
could not move a limb. He could not
cry or speak. He just gazed up with
terrified eyes at the Commodus. And the
Commodus, in return, ga2ed down at
him, and broke into a horrid smile of
triumph. He was sure il smied-yes
he saw II, he heard II! Joe Stokes words
had come true. The Commodus was
stepping down from its pedestal to Rccost
him.
In another second it had stepped down
and faced him. Stony white, and still
robed IN its marble hunting costume,
1t stared him full in the eyes, as ne had
seen before now the statue on the stage
step down and stare at Don Juan in the
opera. He was not superstitious, he
had told Joe Stokes and i'm
deed, il was commonly said OF Maurice
Miller in the profession that "he feared
neither God nor Devil But, at that
momnt, his limbs shook under him with
deadly terror. lie hardly knew what he
thought. lie couldn't say whether the
thing was stone or flesh. lie was only
aware in some dim way that something
terrible was happening
The Roman Emperor laid his heavy
hand on the Gentleman Burglars
shoulder. Contrary TO expectation, the
hand was not cold and stin and stony,
but soit like human beings. The ter
rined burglar looked down with awe into
the Roman Emperor's face-for Commo-
dus was distinctly the shorter OF the two
and saw the smile on II broaden. lie re-
memherd that face. Where tad he seen
1t beforeY Then all at once, il dawued
upon him. BETRAYED. BETRAYED! This
was the little Curate.
The Roman Emperor spoke out, not i'm
very choice Ciceronian Latin. such as
you expect from Emperors. but with ia
lmliar words and IN tho British vernaCu-
lar Maurice Miller, ] arrest YOU. Come
along. You're my prisoner -
in minute, the whole truth flashed
a H.nN