LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6016, 26 August 1887, Page 1

LITERATURE.

MRS VAUETORT'S DIAMONDS.

(Truth.) (Concluded.)

Strange to coy, since his vrife had inherited the Belohambre diamonds he had tad a most persistent ran of ill-luck. Everything went wrong with him? even Mb noted skill at icavti seemed to desert him ; old Morris, the money-lender, to whom he had had recourse pretty frequently in the past (on the strength of his supposed expectations from a distant relative) refused to advance him another pound, and total ruin seemed imminent. With this threatening cloud hanging over him, it is not surprising that the sight of his wife— deoked out m jewels representing a sum that would have averted the coming storm for an indefinite period— enjoying herself with provoking liglit-heartednesß, was not onectuoulatedtosooththeCaptain'sirritated temper. On the contrary, it roused him to positive wrath. He determined to have a serious talk with Lilla on their return home; he would plaoe their position before Her in its true lights he would appeal to her common sense, and thon, if she Refused to adopt his view of the affair, he would — the Captain was at & loaa to determine the couree he would ! pursue if his. wife proved intractable. But | he was growing desperate, and resolved to take some decisive step without further delay. He was too harassed to care to talk to anybody, xnuoh less to dance ; so he spent the evening between the supper-room and the dimly-lit conservatories. People | wondered a good deal at his taciturnity, but considerately left him to himself. Meanwhile, Mrs Yalletort more than atoned for her husband's shortcomings in the matter of liveliness. She was as brilliant as her diamonds. Her merry laugh was so musical, her smiles were so be witching, her pretty face bo radiant with good-humour, that she was unanimously pronounced the belle of the ball.

The Captain wished to leave early, but bis wife was resolved to remain until an hour that was "early" in a converse sense. The dawn was already breaking when they returned to Twickenham. Tired as shQ was, it would have been simply brutal to have attacked her on the subject of her jewels then, and the Captain, with all his faults, was not a brute. The next day, however, he seised the first opportunity of opening the discussion.

" Lilla, I have something very serious to tell you," he said, coming into the draw-ing-room, where hia wife was seated at the piano playing Borne of the waltzes they had heard on the previous evening. Mrs Valletort did not take her hands off the keys, but turned nonchalantly and looked at him.

"Don't tell it me, if it is anything disagreeable," she said, coldly. " Talking over things doesn't make them any better." And she went on playing. "For Heaven's sake, Lilla, stop that noise," cried the Captain, irritably ; " it's quite bad enough to be ruined without being driven mad t "

«• Bulned ! " echoed Mrs Valletort, etarting up and facing her husband. "Do you really mean what you say, or are you only trying to— to frighten me ? " "I really mean it." " Won't Morris advance anything ? " "Not a sou; and what is more, he threatens to make it disagreeable for me if I don't meet those bills next month — he won't hear of renewing them. Now, Lilla, the long and the short of the matter is this— 'you must let me raise money on those diamonds of yours." "Oh, Ned—Ned!— don't take my diamonds away from me," she whimpered piteoudy, bringing oat her handkerohief and patting it ostentatiously to her eyes. "Come, my dear girl, don't let me have a soene. You know I hate to see you cry." Lilla was perfectly aware of the fact, and instantly several large tears rolled ,down her cheeks, and fell on the pianoforte keys. } "Oh, Ned, how unkind you are!" she sobbed, burying her face in her handkerchief.

"Unkind! nonsense!" muttered the Captain uneasily. "My dear Lilla, do you think I would ask you to give me the diamonds unless I were put to the last straits for money P I tell you, if I can't raise several thousand pounds in the course of the next tew weeks, I am a ruined man."

"You have got over your difficulties before, Ned. Ton may do so again, without selling my diamonds." " Lilla, I can't argue the matter further," said the Captain, sternly. . " I tell yon that unless you make this sacrifice, I am ruined. Will you make it? Give me a plain answer—Yes or No. I shan't ask you again." Mrs Yalletort looked at her husband. He was very pale, and his face had a haggard, anxious look she had never seen there before. For the moment a generous impulse prompted her to fetch the jewels, ana place them in hia hands ; but she recalled the Bcone at the ball the night before—the admiring and envious glances that bad been darted at her from dozens of feminine eyes— and then she pictured the triumph of her women-friends, and the sneering remarks they would make when the newß got abroad that she had been compelled to sell her diamonds after wearing them only once. A hard look came into her fine eyeß as she. turned them on her husband.

" J refuse to part with my diamonds/* she said, coldly. " It is unfair of you to ask me to make such a sacrifice."

"Very well, my dear; then the deluge must come," replied the Captain, quietly. He turned and left the room, and Mrs Yalletort dashed into a brilliant concerto with a reokless determination to drown any compunctions she might have in a stormy ocean of Bound.

Tbe Captain did not allude to the diamonds a^aizij and things went on much as usual at The Laurels. But Mxs Valletort grew nervous and fretful, and took to sitting a good deal in her dressing-room. The Captain kept his words he never again broached the subject of the diamonds; but he brooded silentlj over it, and grew more morose and taciturn every day. He wag deeply offended by hia wife's oonduot, and his irritation was aggravated by the continual worries which beset him. Morris waa obdurate, and hia other creditoro threatened him with legal proceedings if he failed to liquidate his numerous bills. At last, driven almost to desperation, the unhappy man conceived a daring plan. I£ he could not get his wife's diamonds by fair means he would get them by fouj. He would Bteal the jewels. He had no sooner made up his mind to do this than he resolved to carry out the idea at once. Ha would not give himself time to think about it, for the word " robbery " has an ugly sound, and he did not care to say it above a whisper. One evening, when hia wife was dining with a friend in town, he found that she had forgotten to take her keys with her. The opportunity must not be lost ; so good a one might not soon occur again. He therefore orept softly up to her dressingroom with the keys in his hand. Much to his astonishment, he found the window wide open, tho furniture much disarranged, the door of the safe ajar, and — the diamonds gone! For some moments he stood aghast, stating stupidly around. Then the dreadful truth flashed on him. Burglars had effected an entry while he was at dinner, and carried off the jewels. # # # * * Bafore m»ny hours were over, the news of another great jewol-robbery spread over

the country, and the services of skilled detectives were enlisted. ' But weeks passed and no glimmer of light was thrown on the mysterious burglary. With this calamity came another. Captain Valletorfe creditors pressed him bo hard, that he was compelled to take the initiatory steps for going through the Bankruptcy Courl, and his name duly appeared in the Gazette. After this, the Valletorts found it expedient to leave England for a time. They resolved to spend the winter in Florence. In that pleasant city they wore soon the centre of a brilliant coterie, for Mra Valletort's beauty and grace, and her husband's easy, good-natured manner were as much appreciated as in London. One evening, when they had dined quietly at home, Mrs Yalletort announced to her husband that she had something to show him that would surprise him considerably. _ The captain rather listlessly declared himself willing to give her his attention; and Idlla, emillirxg rather wickedly, vanished from the room, re-ap-pearlng soon after with a large card-board box under her arm, whioh she carefully placed on the table. .

" What have you got there my dear ? " asked the captain in some surprise. " You shall see," replied Mb wife. «* But first promise to let mo have my way in thia matter."

" Very well. I promise." "Oh, you dear, foolish Ned! Just Bee how much cleverer lam than you !" cried tho little woman, exultantly, as she opened thebox and took out several shabb y leather cases.

The captain started as if he .had been shot.

" Lilla, don't tantalise me like this," he cried, angrily. " What have you got in those cases?"

" My diamonds— and their facsimiles paste," And she displayed a masß of gems that positively dazzled him. "Listen to me for a few moments and I will explain everything. Soon after you asked me to sell my diamonds I began to suspect that you meant to take them from me by stratagem, sol r&solved to manage matters my own way. I knew, if you had yourß, the money would all bo swallowed up by your debts, and, besides, I should lose every social advantage the possession of the diamonds gave me. I therefore arranged my dressing-room so as to make you think that the jewels had been annexed by burglars, and I kept the diamonds sewn in my sealskin jacket until we left England." " No wonder the detectives were puzzled. By Jove, Lilla, I didn't give you' credit for such sharpness."

"In Paris I took them to the Palais Royal and had them copied in paste. Now/ she added, with a bright smile, and placing the shabby cases and their glittering contents in his hands, " the real stones are very much at your service. I shall send a paragraph to the London papers, saying that my diamonds have boen restored to me anonymously, and I shall wear the paste set at Prince Opoponax's to-morrow night. And now. dear," she added, " I have only one piece of advice to offer: The next time you are thinking of turning burglar, take your wife into your confidence."