Year: 1879




but, on the other hand. my strong COM
regards Mr.. Riddel and the ladies OF
rank; therefore draw the line al
Duchesses. But he was certainly as
fascinating as he was hard-hearted.
When any lady customer who was un-
known to him got out of her brougham
for no one ever came in a cab to
Messrs. Moonstone's establishment
and moved up the shop in his direction,
shut eyes-for they were of the
dreamy" order of beauty-and muir
muir to himself: "Now, is this a
swindler or bona tide party9" and
many q bona fde party did he serve
tie dreamed of the suspicion which she
excited within him.


He thought it a bad sign when they
took off their gloves, and under such
circumstances would always decline to
show them those specimens of rough
diamonds which wet finger can carry
away with it. And when they offered
to pay for their little purchases by check
it was quite pretty to hear him explain,
in his soft voice, how the !" system" of
the firm was ready-money one, and
that no exception could be made in
favor of any one, however highly con-
nected, who was not personally known
to it.


You might have thought, perhaps,
ions, not to mention the "evil commu-
well founded) to which he was neces-
ov,l taI
his own integrity but this was not the
liberally with untold gold, and he was
the last man to have abused their CON-
fidence. And yet, as 1 have said, he
which l am about to relate concerning
him, and which is certainly of q char
acter to arouse sympathy and compass
sion. was told me by his fellow-clerk,
Mr.. Nation, (who has given me his own
ace-of-spades adventure in very differ
ent style, } with a great deal of waggish-
ness and enjoyment.


One afternoon q brougham stopped
at Messrs. Moonstone's establishment
with widow in it about the brougham
there could be no sort of doubt /; it was
not private vehicle, but one of those
which are hired by the day or hour; the
appearance of the driver, not to mem
ton that of the horse, precluded the
possibility of its being the property of
the person who employed it. If she
thought to be set down among scar
riage people, because she used such a
conveyance, she must have been SAN
guine indeed. And so far that was q
good sign. People that came to rob on
a scale worth mentioning, Il am not
thinking of those who slipped any un-
considered trifie, such as q ring or a
spray, into their muffs they were
always detected and bowed out of the
shop into the arms of a policeman in
plain clothes who stood at the door)-
people, say, who wanted to ssoindle,
were always very particular about the
vehicle that brought them.


What reused suspicion in the watch
fufvyU x-1as<a<Afo-~v~s-<ho-
widow herself. Like Weller, senior
i(though without his matrimonial ex-
perience to excuse it), he had a preju-
dice against widows-at least in jewell
ers' shops; nor, I am bound to confess,
was it altogether without grounds; the
garb and the mein of sorrow being the
stalking horses under which a good
deal of knavery is accomplished. And
then this widow was so bewitchinp to
look at that he was naturally alarmed; (;
from every neat plat of her beautiful
hair, and every fold of her modest suit of
mourning, there seemed to him to fiut-
ter q danger signal. He was wont to
declare, indeed, that he knew she was
after no good from the first moment he
set eyes on her; but that statement
must, think, be received with caution.
If his face grew severe and his manner
painfully polite, as she came up to
where he stood, it was because he knew
that Boltby and Nation had got their
eyes upon him and were looking out for
some sign of weakness.


"I wish to see some rings" she said.
in q soft and gentle voice; mourning
rings" and then she took off her glove,
displaying the whitest little hand imag-
Unable.


OF course, he could not help seeing
her hand, nor yet her face, from which
she had put back her veil. It wore an
expression of sadness, but also one of
Acknowledgement and content; itseemed
to say, my late husband was very un-
worthy of me; but he has left me- free,
and forgive him." Who has not seen
such widows, who wear their weeds al
most as If they were flowers, and who
have apparently selected black as their
only wear, because it is becoming to
themP l have often thought, il l could
have the choice of my own calling, that,
next to being " companion to lady,"
l should like to be q young jeweler try
ing on rings. -.--r-.-


Mr.. Riddel said. Allow me,
m adam - in HIS most hOneved voice
and slipped &. eased'' he called it, and
certainly it was very easy work) ring
after ring upon the widows dainty fin
ger. ." hope / am not hurting you,"
he murmured. H'--


40, no." she sighed; "there was q
time, but that is passed now-when it
would have given me pleasure. 1
,nean.n she added, hastily, and with a