The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-04-27
pAUL1NE's PENDANT.

Father, it has disappeared !'
Sir Nevil Masterton and I we're sit
ting in his study at Masterton Priory
after breakfast when his only daugh-
ter, Pauline, rushed in with white
face.
my dear little girl, what has dis
appeared 7" inquired her father in a
soothing tone.
my pearl and diamond pendant.
The one you gave me just before the
wedding ! Oh, father, who can have
taken it t?'
Sir Nevil smiled. "You have mis-.
laid it, that's all! We don't have
anything SO exciting as burglaries
here"
"But, father, here is the empty
case, which l found in the drawer
where I locked it up yesterday morn
ing with the pendant safe inside"
Sir Nevil looked grave. '"That
sounds odd," he said slowly. "Tell
us all about it, little girl"
The little girl'' was a fine, tall
young woman of two and twenty.
Her mother had died when she was a
child, and Sir Nevil's eldest sister,
Miss Priscilla Masterton, had played
hostess at the priory while Pauline
was growing up. She adored her
niece, and Pauline could always get
her own way so far as Aunt Prissy
was concerned.
A few months ago the household
had received a shock-the announce
ment of Sir Nevil Masterton's second
marriage. Everyone had come to
look upon him as a confirmed wild
over.
The new Lady Masterton was the
famous stage beauty, Miss Lydia
Beaugarde. She was principal show
girl at the Majestic Theatre, where
her lovely face and matchless figure
brought her admiration and hand
some salary; while her strong COM
mon sense and excellent capacity for
looking after herself and kept all ad-
mirers at a respectful distance until
Nevil Masterlon placed his baronetcy
and his rent roll at her feet.
Pauline tearfully explained to her
father the exact circumstances of her
loss. She was in the habit of lock-
ing her jewelry in certain drawer,
aud then hiding the keys in the cor
ner of another drawer. The fact that
the keys and the case of the pendant
were both in their proper places seem
ed evidence that the pendant had been
removed by some one intimately ac-
quainted with its owners habits.
Her father tried to comfort her,
and added: "Leave me to talk it
over with Mr.. Carter here. If your
pendant has really been stolen he is
more likely to get il back FOR you
than anyone else u
realized that to possess reputa'
tion as. sort of amateur Sherlock
Holmes involves one occasionally in
awkward responsibilities but l has
tened to reassure her as far as posi-
Bile.
"You are in for it now, Carter I'
said Sir Nevil, grimly.
That's all right" I said. 'Just
tell me little about the history of the
pendant before we go any further
"Well, you see,'' he began, "we
have a good many family jewels,
which Pauline had come to look upon
as her own particular property. So
that when l brought my wife here, a
month or two ago, Pauline did not
altogether like parting with what she
considered her treasures.
''It was to make up for this" con-
tinued Sir Nevil, 'that l bought her
a pendant, diamond crown with two
fine pear shaped pearls hanging down
on little platinum chains. And it is
this pendant that has now disap-
peared."
81 see," I said, thoughtfully.
"What about your servants, Master
toni"
"They have all been with me for
years. he said warmly. 81 should
never suspect any of them p
"What about Lady Masterton's
maid? ?"
"Oh, yes-Rayner 1 forgot about
her. She is a girl whom my wife
has known for a long time and in
whom she has every confidence
1 began to perceive that l was
going to have rather unpleasant
time At lunch everyone was talk
ing about the pendant, and Lady
Masterton in particular seemed much
concerned at her stepdaughter's loss.
1t was difficult to see what possible
motive Lady Masterton could have
had for being concerned in the mys-
terious disappearance of her step
daughters ornaments.
1 found myself wondering whether
this brilliant beauty might not have
some poor relation in desperate need
of money, for whom she might have
committed the theft, not daring to
part with any of her own jewelry for
fear of being discovered. Personally,
however, l was much preposessed in
Lady Masterton's favor.
Then another wild conjecture came
into my mind. Had Pauline herself
| simply hidden the jewel to bring dis