At Valley House one duchess and
several countesses were assembled for the Easter party, and they were
women whose jewels were famous. Most of these were family heirlooms, but
their present owners had had the things reset, and no queen of fairyland
or musical comedy could have owned more becoming or exquisitely designed
tiaras, crowns, necklaces, earrings, dog-collars, brooches, bracelets,
and rings than these great ladies.
For this reason the ladies themselves were interesting to Ruthven Smith,
and he might have been equally so to them if he would have told them
picturesquely all he knew about the history of their wonderful diamonds,
pearls, emeralds, and rubies. It was too bad that he wouldn't, for there
was not a famous jewel in England or Europe of which Ruthven Smith had
not every ancient scandal in connection with it at his tongue's end.
But on his tongue's end it stayed, even when, for the sake of his own
pleasure if nothing else, his hosts and hostesses tried to draw him out.
Nevertheless, he was not sorry that he had come. There was an element of
joy in seeing, met together, and sparkling together, those exquisite,
historic beauties of which he had read.
Pages:
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253