The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-08-27
II didn't think it was SO late.

II didn't think it was so late
Light the lamp" said Miss Rozalle.
| Get your book; begin now
Mary obeyed. and when she had
read the old woman to sleep, she sat
| looking at the odd little figures on the
| lamp shade, wondering wondering
how Aunt Jacque could ever have
been young and pretty enough to
| dance with the first president OF the
| brilliant Partisan court; wondering
| where the famous ROZele diamonds
| were kept; wondering why Aunt
Jacque had not shown them to her
when she displayed the quaint con
| tents Of the fiat jewel drawer in the
japanese cabiuet-thiuO Old gold chains,
fantastic brooches, more or less broli-
Ell, saucer shaped lockets and brace
| lets OF curious make, but never pre-
| clUu$ stone III the lot.
! Tue dcad-gUlG eardrops, like NINA
ture globes, were among the most
modern thing am ug the articles. but
the whole collection, Mary jeeringIy
! told herself, was not worth five dollars.
Il wish she would show NE the dia-
mOnds.' thought Mary.
And at that very instant Aunt
| Jacque awOke, with Il little start.
Il was dreaming about the Rozelle
diamonds" said size sharply peering
toward the bandy-legged japanese
cabinet. Mary"
Yes, Aunt jar Iue."
Perhaps the Il ne was come ut last.
Look i'll the call blue vase on the
| right-hand corner of the Iuautel. l.
there a key there"
| rs Aunt Jacque."
"Oh, then its safe, But the dream
was so very, very vivid. Ring for
| Polly. / feel like going TO bed
Aunt Jucque went 60 bed as usual.
| The neXr morning she did not get up
| She was not sick, she said-but tired.
But the doctor shook his head and
gave orders that the house should be
| kept very quiet.
Miss Emily will have TO 20 home,n
said Polly. And Miss Kate and Miss
Margery mustn't come here any mora
at present
Emily succumbed to circumstances
ana went to stay with Kate Godfrey
for Il few days before she returned 10
the city. KATE was going to have a
party.
"Oh, if | could only have something
Lice to wear said Emily. These
gold earrings of madam's. For ole
night Mary. She's lying quite drowsy
and unconscious; she never would
know. And am so shabby and poor
looking among all Hates friends.'
And Mary, over-persuaded, crept
into Aunt jacques room, took the
key from the blue vase, unlocked the
drawer, and distracted the dead-gold
knobs with velvet fingers.
Emily uttered cry of joy.
"Oh, you are so sweet, so good"
sne said.
BE sure to bring them back to-
morrow" adjured Mary.
IN be quite sure, = said Emily.
The next morning Aunt JacQue sud
denly reused herself out of her dream
like torpidity.
"Who is there said she.
And Mary answered:
II am, Aunt Jacque.
Il dreamed" said the old woman,
that some one was tampering with
my jewel drawer. Go, Mary, and see
if the key is all safe"
Aud Mary, pale and trembling,
obeyed.
Bring it here" said Mrs Rozelle.
Let NE see it. Aye. that's right.
Take good care of the key, child
Let it never 90 out of your sight
The diamonds are there the dia-
monds that l mean to give you"
Aunt Jacque"' gasped Mary.
Yes nodded the old dame-"Yes!
You never suspected it, did you: The
dead-gold drops are hollow-the
great sparkling stones are inclosed
inside them. The diamonds that l
wore that night when | danced at
Versailles, with Eugenie de MOntijo
opposite me in the set. This old house
and the diamonds are all that is left of
the great RoZelle fortune, and they
ere 10 be yours
The dew of perspiration broke out
on Mary's forehead as she listened,
and no sooner had Mrs. ROZalte fallen
asleep again than she called Polly to
take her place, and hurried across the
meadows to the Godfrey house.
Everything was i'll the wild disorder
incident 10 the morning after a party.
Kate, just dressed, came yawning to
greet her.
"Where's Emily. My, didn't you
know? Gone back to New York in the
five o'clock morning train. Received
Il bttIS1 "a Ii! tiltll ilEl IilA'bllGl WIGS sim
Didn't even go to bed after the party
"Did she leave no message for
me-
None that | know of-eXcept, of
course, her love and all that sort of
thing. Isn'ti too bad that she should
be hurried away like thIs?'
Mary wrung her hands. What was
to be done? Suppose Aunt JacQue
should insist Oh seeing the jewels:
She hurried to the railway station
and telegraphed to Emily to send the
earrings at once, and then returned
10 RCzeile Croft with feelings that
can better be imagined than describ
ed.
at was my own fault, she kept re-
peatiug to herSelf-"my own fault.
And alone must bear the punish
meut."
The day passed slowly on, and no
message came. Aunt Jacque walked
and slept by turns, talked about the
| first president aud beautiful Eugenie
| do Montijo, called Mary by some low
ing name, and then drifted back into
| the darkness that borders on the I'M
seen land.
But presently, as Mary sat by the
fire in the saloon, drinking her tea,
while Polly kept watch and ward up
stairs, the shrill old voice called out,
in plainly audible accents:
The gold earrings. Bring me the
gold earrings, say. Mary has the
key. Tell Mary to bring them here"
The girl started up, clasping her
hands and turning very pale. The
punishment had descended upon her
at last.
| At the same moment hand tap
ped at the window glass. Margery
Dixon's bright face was closely press
ed against the easement.
Open, Mary-openn' cried the sweet,
| fresh voice. Here's a little package
| En- Hardwick left with me to give
you, and haven't had a chance to
| come over until now.
The Rozelle diamonds at last, in
their unpretending shells of plain
gold-and the cloud was lifted from
poor Mary Mellen's heart.
| And Margery Dixon could not i'm
agine why Mary was crying SO hys-
terically as she took the trinkets from
her hand.
rs she so bad as that?' said she.
but you know she was very old
1t was very true. Miss Rozelle was
every old" She died that night; but
before she died she solemnly gave into
Mary Mellen's hands the Roze'Ie dia-
monds and the eds-of-gift of Rozelle
Croft and all its lands, in The presence
- L., 4 Il oil