The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-01

LIIllll.-lI.iNls Y
life. They had never appeared more
remote and trivial. She kept her
conscious hand in the folds of her skirt.
She would have liked 10 strip off her.
glove and show them the ring. 1t
would have entertained them so much.
To herself its entertainment was of the
Arabian Nights-the way of its find
ings. its beauty in the false setting,
the struggle over it in the shop--all
were wine TO her Imagination. 1t was
a thing to conjure adventure; 1t was
a talisman Of romance.
She colored family as she mentally
corrected herself. Vt was her engage
ment ring, and as suc.l she had never
: once thought of ii. Strange, when all
the forms of her engagement had been
so well Observed when Harry himself
represented that side of life to which
she had tried to form herself from as
far back as the old days when her
mother had made fun of her fancies.
1t must be right, she thought, this
and the queer way she saw
things. something wrong in her. But
because sne knew herself different, and
because she felt life without under
standing 1t, she feared it.. 1t was too
big to take hold of alone. And she
was so alone; and Harry was so strong,
so matter-o of fact; alone like herself.
yet adequate in the world she was
afraid of. She had accepted him as
naturally, and yet as unreally. as she
took all that life, and to the moment
she had never questioned the wisdom
or the happiness. She didn't question
now. She only was shocked that so
large a fact in her life as her engage
ment could be completely wiped out for
the moment by thing so trivial 1t
was not even the ring. 1t was the
feeling she had about the ring Her
Imagination was always running away
with her, as 1t had the night at the
club. And here 1t was, still uncurbed
speeding her forward into fields of ro-
nance.
She went over whole dramas-im-
aginary histories Of cnance ana cir
cumstance-woven about tine ring, as
she walked up and down the long
windy hills, westward and homeward
the blue bay on the one hand beaten
green under the rising trade" and the
fog coming in before her. With the
experience of the morning and the
exercise and the lively air, her spirits
were riding nigh. From time to time
'she had the greatest longing to peep
again at the sapphire, but not until
the house door he'd closed after her
did she dare draw off her glove and
look. 1t was still glorious. What a.
pity she must take it Off Yet that
point Harry had made about not show
ing It had been too sharp to be dis
regarded. But what could she saw
supposing Clara asked about the morn
ing's expedition? At this thought ali
her spring deserted her, and she went
slowly up. the stair Perhaps Clara had
forgotten about 1t, and then it required
reassuringly to her mind. how seldom
Clara touched anywhere near the sub
ject of her engagement
None the less, she went very softly
down the nall, anxious lest Clara might
open her door and ask what she had
brought home with her
But even in the refuge of her
own rooms the ring encircIed
Flora with unease The ueb+
OF 1t on her finger made her restless
1t wasn't that she was apprehensive Of
1t. but she could not forget 1t. She
could hear the maid Marrika moving
about in the room beyond She could
hear the rustic of clothes carried to
and fro. She knew there were things
to dress fora luncheon and bevy Of
teas-things which must be gone
through with, things which at other
times she had found sufficiently pleas
ureable. But now. try as she. would
to turn her mind to these. 1t persist
entity wandered back to the jewel. All
the fine, simple pleasure of the morn
ing was dazzled out by IT. She slipped
1t off her finger on to the dressing
table, and it lay among her laces like a
purple prism, cast by some unearthly
sun in a magic glass. She had Jewels.
rubies even-the most precious-b,t
nothing that gave her this sense OF
individual beauty. of beauty so keen
as to be disturbing. She emptied her
jewel casket in a glittering heap around
it. 1t shone out unquenched Tt had
not been the dingy little shop. and the
dingy little street. and the odds and
ends of jade and furnished silver that
had made 1t of such value 1t seemed
hand pluck it out first from that shin
ing heap before her.
Marrika was coming in. and quickly
Flora swept the jewels and the sapphire
back into the casket. turned the kew
upon them and thrust it back In the
far corner of the drawer She would
give every one great surprise when
the ring was properly set. She glanced
nervously over her shoulder to see If
Marrika had noticed her action. The
Russian had been moving to and fro
between the wardrobe and the dress
ing table with droning thread of
song. And now she took up the combs
and brushes, and filling her mouth witt,
pins, began on the long river of vel
low brown hair that flowed down