The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-10-09
CHAPTER VII.

When Van Torp and Logotheti left
Mr.. Pinney's shop, the old 1eweler
meant to have good look at the
ruby the Greek had brought him, and
was going to weigh it, not merely as
matter of business, for he weighed
every stone that passed through his
hands from crown diamonds to sparks,
but with genuine curiosity, because in
long experience he had not seen
very many rubies Of such size, which
were also of such fine quality, and he
wondered where this one had been
found
Just then. however, two well-dressed
young men entered the shop and
came up to him. He had never seen
either of them before, but their looks
inspired him with confidence; and
when they spoke, their tone was that
of English gentlemen, which all 9TH
er Englishmen find 1t practically i'm
possible to initiate, and.> which had
been extremely familiar to Mr.. PIN.
ney from his youth. Though he was
the great jeweler himself, the wealthy
descendant Of five of his name in sue
cession and much better of than half
his customers, he was alone in his
shop that morning. The truth was
that his only son, the sixth Pinney
and the apple of his eye, had just
| been married and was gone abroad
for q honeymoon trip. and the head
shopman, who was Scotch, was having
his months holiday at Ayrshire, and
the second man had been sent for, to
clean and restring the duchess of Bar
| chester's pearls at her grace's house
in Cadogan Gardens, as was always
done after the season, and couple OF
skilled workmen for whom Mr.. Pin
ney found occupation all the year
round were in the workshop at their
tables; wherefore, out of four re-
sponsible and worthy men who usual
ly were about, only the great Mr.. Pin
ney himself was at his post.
I! One of the two well-dressed custom
/ ers asked to see some pins, and the
other gave his advice. The first
bought pin with small sapphire set
in sparks, for ten guineas. and gave
only ten pounds for 1t because he
paid cash. Mr. Pinney put the pin into
It's little morocco case, wrapped 1t up
neatly and handed 1t to the purchaser
The latter and his friend said good
morning in a civil and leisurely man.
ner, sauntered out, took a hanson
| few steps farther down the street,
and drove away.
! The little paper twist containing To-
gotheti's ruby was still exactly where
Mr.. Pinney had placed 1t on the coun-
ter, and he was going to examine the
! stone and weigh 1t at last, when two
more customers entered the shop, EVIL
IDENTIFY foreigners, and moreover OF
sort unfamiliar to the good jeweler,
and especially suspicious.
The two we're Baraka and her inter-
prefer and servant, whom Logotheti
had called a Turk, and who was real
! ly Turkish subject and a Mohamme-
dan, though as to race, he was half
bred Greek and Dalmatian. Now
Dalma tians are generally honest,
truthful, and trustworthy. and the low
class Greek of Constantinople is u.s.
| udlly cALIculcly sudI y, IL Ac ID uOLuIH6
more definitely reprshensible; and
Baraka's man was cross between
the two, as have said, and had been
brought up as Musulman in rich
Turkish family, and commended to
Baraka by the Persian merchant in
whose house she had lived. He had
been originally baptized Christian
under the name Of Spiro, and had
been subsequently renamed Salim
when he was made a real Moslem at
IL years old, so he used whichever
name suited the circumstances in
which he was placed. At present he
was Spiro.
The interpreter spoke broken but
Ineligible English. He called Ba-
raka his master and explained that
the latter wished to see some rubies, II
Mr.. Pinney had any, cut or uncut. The
young gentleman. he. SAID. did not