a tone of
dismay. "Oh, why not the ruby?"

"You _would_ have your way about the table decorations," I gently reminded
her. "With that service of Crown Derby _repousse_ and orchids, the ruby
would look absolutely barbaric. Now if you would have had the Limoges set,
white candles, and a yellow silk center--"

"Oh, but--I'm _so_ disappointed--I wanted the bishop to see your ruby--or
one of your engraved gems--"

"My dear, it is on the bishop's account I put this on. You know his
daughter is heiress of the great Valdez sapphire--"

"Of course she is, and when he has the charge of a stone three times as
big as yours, what's the use of wearing it? The ruby, dear Uncle Paul,
_please_!"

She was desperately in earnest I could see, and considering the
obligations which I am supposed to be under to her and Tom, it was but a
little matter to yield, but it involved a good deal of extra trouble.
Studs, sleeve-links, watch-guard, all carefully selected to go with the
sapphire, had to be changed, the emerald which I chose as a compromise
requiring more florid accompaniments of a deeper tone of gold; and the
dinner hour struck as I replaced my jewel case, the one relic left me of a
once handsome fortune, in my fireproof safe.

The emerald looked very well that evening, however. I kept my eyes upon it
for comfort when Miss Panton proved trying.

She was a lean, yellow, dictatorial young person with no conversation. I
spoke of her father's celebrated sapphires. "_My_ sapphires," she amended
sourly; "though I am legally debarred from making any profitable use of
them." She furthermore informed me that she viewed them as useless gauds,
which ought to be disposed of for the benefit of the heathen. I gave the
subject up, and while she discoursed of the work of the Blue Ribbon Army
among the Bosjesmans I tried to understand a certain dislocation in the
arrangement of the table. Surely we were more or less in number than we
should be? Opposite side all right. Who was extra on ours? I leaned
forward. Lady Landor on one side of Tom, on the other who? I caught
glimpses of plumes pink and green nodding over a dinner plate, and beneath
them a pink nose in a green visage with a nutcracker chin altogether
unknown to me. A sharp gray eye shot a sideway glance down the table and
caught me peeping, and I retreated, having only marked in addition two
clawlike hands, with pointed ruffles and a mass of brilliant rings, making
good play with a knife