The Diva's Ruby

ade no attempt to force himself upon her. She was probably thinking over what he had said, and in the end she would exert her influence as he had begged h

all real financiers, he knew money as a force, not as a want, very much as any strong working man knows approximately how much he can lift or carry, and reckons with approximate certainty on his avera

millionaires mean to be bad all the time, but are not, and some are bad all the time but do not mean to be, but no millionaires mean to be bad all the time and really are. Rufus Van Torp certainly did not mean to be, according to his

trebled the stock, cleared a profit of thirty millions and ruined nobody but the small-fry, who of course deserved it on the principle that people who cannot keep money ought not to have any. Some unkind newspaper man ha

would be much more 'all right' to shoot him, after fair and due warning, and to carry off the lady. That was impossible in a civilised country, of course; but as it occurred to him, while he was thinking, that he might find it convenient to go somewhere in a hurry by sea, he bought a perfectly new yacht that was for sale because the owner had died of heart disease the week after she was quite ready to take him to the Mediterranean. The vessel was at

nterview wit

trip this season. I'm that sort of a man. I may or I m

enly, and the Captain 'saw,' for he m

he answered

d I wire that I want you in another, I'd like

s,

hot, tell me right off and we'll get another. And don't you fuss about burning coal, Captain. And see that the crew get all they can eat and not a drop of drink but tea and coffee, and if you let 'em go on shore once in a way, see th

rstood and kept

tinued the new owner. 'What's the ne

he least hesitation, and so quickly that

ou're pretty sma

s office, sir, and ask them

ooked sharply at the Captain, as he unhooked the receiver and

s. I want to know what's the nearest sea-port to Bayreuth, Bavaria. Yes. Yes.

t kept wa

Yes. Yes. I was only asking. No thank you. If I want

to his Captain with a different expression, in whi

t's Venice. I must say that, for

n that the last owner with whom he had sailed had been Wagner-mad and

to Venice at once

as you can

y, and made a short mental calculation before

ve o'clock this afterno

reful not to betray

re not more than fairly sat

do that at eighteen knots with her own coal. Say eight days. But as this is her maiden tri

ve in Venice. I may want to go to Timbuctoo, or to Andaman Islands or s

on and telegraphed both to his chief engineer, Mr. M'Cosh, and his chief mate, Mr.

nce long voyage. Coming next train. Owner in h

heel-house, and the look-out forward repeated them on the ship's bell, all according to the most approved

owes to be informed of the exact moment at which his yach

ed at four

actually smiled, for Captain Brown had bee

ught Mr. Van Torp. 'I o

oticed that in the lives of born financiers even their caprices often turn out to their advantage, and th

he world, and that he commanded a vessel likely to turn out one of the finest yachts afloat, and he did not mean to lose such a berth either by piling up his ship, or by being slow to do whatever his owner wished done, within the

d that he was wasting valuable time while Logotheti was making all the running, and his uncommon natural energy, finding nothing to work upon

d from Lady Maud's letter that the fact was announced, he 'saw red,' and his resolution to prevent the marriage was made then and there. He had no idea how he should carry it out,

tite, which had never happened to him before; he stayed on in London instead of going down to his place in Derbyshire, because h

A genuine offer of marriage from a millionaire is not usually considered an insult, but since she had chosen to look at it in that light, he was humble enough to be grateful for her pardon. If he had not been so miserably in love he would have been even more amazed and alarmed at his own humility, for he had not shown signs of such weakness before. In a life which had been full of experience, though it was not yet long, he had convinced himself that the 'softening' which comes with years, and of which kind people often speak with so much feeling, generally begins in the brain; and the thought that he himself was growing less hard than h

f their own, perhaps because it is less trouble and no dearer, at least not in American cities. Housekeeping in New York can be done with

wspaper reporter in fair fight, he very much preferred not to be perpetually on the look-out lest he should be obliged to escape by back

n almost untouched breakfast, between nine and ten

up, as he leaned far back in his chair, h

of a foreigner, and he

question was asked in a to

s,

ered toast and appeared to have forgotten all about the card.

more hot toast, sir?'

No. No

st Van Torp changed his position, threw his head so far back that it rested on the top of the chair, thrust his hands deep into

te

s,

o you suppose he thinks I speak his heathen language?

mething written on the card if you care to look at it, sir, and he has a

ght very well have been thought to mean the words literally. But he did not. He mer

at the ca

e little salver into contact with the large fingers, which picked up the card and raised it delibera

ee odd-looking signs which meant nothing to him, but underne

ish! Why not "teapot," or "rocking-hors

an answer, Stemp

's the only word he knows,

alet's face. But the Englishman's features were utterly impassive; if they expressed an

satisfied and glance

funny,' he said, as if acknowle

with an air of injured pride, for he felt that his profes

ee. Yes. Now, that's very curious, I must say,' he said, after reading the words. 'That's very curiou

n who speaks English f

I want him, and you can go awa

good

und without getting up, so that he sat facing the door. A m

ache, a complexion like cream, short and thick black hair and very clear dark eyes that met the American's fearlessly. He was under the avera

k,' Mr. Van Torp said

and the parted lips sho

young man, giving th

ounce it like you. Take a chair, Mr.

the gesture that explaine

i's, and he advised you to come to

ly as he recognised the name. The Am

can trot out your things now,

ar to his visitor. Barak produced a little leathern bag, not much bigger than an ordinary purse, and fastened with thin thongs, wh

tly reflected, 'it's either

y parcel contained a ruby, and when the young man counted them there were five in all, and they were fine stones if they were genuine; but Mr. Van Tor

've seen better. I wonder if they're real, anyway. They'v

was something about this one's manner that was not assumed. Barak took the finest of the stones with the tips of his slender young fingers, laid it

-day, thank y

e twists back into the bag one by one. Then he drew the thongs together and tied them in a neat sort of

. I'll show you a ruby

held all his possessions of that sort, and was not full. There were three or four sets of plain studs and links; there were half a dozen very big gold collar-studs; there was a bit of an old gold chain, apparently cut off at each end, and having one cheap little diamond set in each link; and there was a thin old wedding-ri

ou, maybe. Yes,' he continued, watching the Oriental's face, 'I told you I'd make you sit up. But I didn't mean to scare you bald-headed.

s had opened so wide that they uncovered the white of the eye almost all round the iris; he was biting his lower lip so that it was swollen and blood-red against the little white teeth; and a moment before Mr. Van Tor

s no one came at his call, he lifted the slim figure gently and carried it towards the sofa, and while he was crossing the large room with his burden the palpable truth was forced upon him that his visitor's slimness was more apparent than real, and an affair of shape rather than of pounds. Before he had quite reached the lounge, h

nodded. 'I wonder what on earth you're up to, young

that he was not a safe judge of precious stones, that the rubies he had seen might very well be imitation, and that the girl's emotion at the sight of the rough stone might be only a piece of clever acting, the whole scene hav

ed the gem into his pocket before going to t

efore him, and stood before the door in an attitude which e

he beautiful imploring eyes, 'what on earth do you

conversation by

and when this was clear, he answered by pretending to count out coins with his right hand on the palm of his left to explain that he had bought it. There was no mistaking this, and Barak nodded quickly and went on to her next question. S

andy hair and then to her own short black locks. The American pointed to his own, and then touched his watch-chain and smiled. The man's hair was fair, and even golden. By a similar process she ascertained that his eyes were blue and not black, and her excitement grew. Last of all she tried to ask where the man was, but i

ans do the same thing, 'it was west of here

ted. Several times, to show that she meant London, or at least England, she pointed to the floor at her feet and looked inquiringly at Van Torp,

w beard, who is selling rubies from the same place, and has very likely go

in the palm of her left hand, and then went through all the descriptive gestures again, and then once mor

I wonder why you don't call in your interpreter and tell m

ny one; and her voice was so deliciously soft and beseeching that he yielded, and sat down at the small table and wrote out

in a tone of pity. 'If you

lessing, do you

but it was not of the same kind as before. She took Van Torp's big hand in both her own, and, bending down,

ple don't think Brassy Van Torp's blessing worth much

smiled as she looked up, and

t, my dear,' he

a large stone and held it up to the light, turning it a little as she did so. Van Torp watched her with curiosity, and with an amused suspicion that she had perhaps played the whole scene in order to mollify him and indu

to her heart, then to her lips, and last of all to her forehead, and before he knew what she was

o her. 'It's very sweet of you, but you don't mean it, and I don't take pr

at she would not take it back. Then with her empty hand she again to

ter her. 'I can't take this thing! See he

p the gem. He looked at her keenly, and he was a judge of humanity, and saw that she was hurt by his r

k, I'll buy the stone of you, but I'll be everl

lower lip pouted, and her cheek faintly changed colour, as a

towards the window as hard as she could, stamping angrily with her little foot at the same moment. Mr. Van Torp was extremely disconcerted, as

tone of humble apology, and he went quickly and pick

, bowed with all the grace he could affect, which was little, and by way of making her feel that he accepted the gift, he pressed it to his heart, as sh

atisfied. Then she made a sort of salute that he thought very graceful indeed, as if she were taking something from near the floor an

room, looking at the gem in his ha

the words, though no sound articulated them, '

he almost laughed at the thought when it occurred to him, he did not like the idea of keeping the stone; yet he did not know what to do with it, for it was more than probabl

e who had observed that something valuable might have been sold and the money given to the poor. If he had remembered the rest, and especially that the person who made the suggestion had been Judas Iscariot, he would certainly

to somebody, and I shall not be

him. But Lady Maud, who knew him, would have given him credit for this and much more, even though she felt that he had lately tempted her to do something which her father

ven feel warm; for in the first place he had lately come from Washington and New York, where a Hottentot would be very uncomfortable in July, and, moreover, he had never been at all sensitive to heat or cold, and lived as soberly as an A

nd he entered a jeweller's shop of modest appearance but ancient reputation, which had been i

d in perfectly new blue serge was sitting by the counter with his back to the door, talking with the old jeweller himself. He turned on the chai

surprise he felt, 'this is what I call

observe on the counter a small piece of tissue paper on which l

in the least. Mr. Pinney and I are in the midst of a discussion that may

d in the mercantile plural, which differs f

very busy just at this t

' said Van Torp, answering the latter, '

on that he was pretending to be, but was not. He sat down deliberately at

course,' he said in a tone of reflexion, 'b

nignly, for Mr. Van Torp h

Logotheti again. 'I think we can undertake to cut it for you in Lo

discreet and tactful as a professional diplomatist. How could he be sure that one customer might like another to know about a ring ordered for a lady? If Logotheti preferred se

'I shall leave it in your hands. That's rea

ou like, and have a little chat. I only came to get another of those ext

nswered the famous jeweller, opening a special little drawe

and had already laid down the money

always so obliging about

our best. Good-mornin

. Two well-dressed men stood aside to

y?' asked

ed the American. '

ing in the world! What can anybody fin

Torp, pleasantly. 'I supposed you

rica, and so, of course, we me

, the heathen girl in boy's clothes, brought me your

r several cards for people I know. So she found you out! She's a

for sending her, all the same. You take an inter

No, indeed! Those days were over l

meant to congratulate you. I do now, any

I think. So you guessed

uessed she was. Do you

me. But it ma

ean to say you unde

amarkand and the Transcaucasian railway, for that was the way she ultimately got to the Caspian and to Tiflis, and then to Constantinople and Paris. How a mere girl, brought up in a Tartar village, could have made such a journey safely, carrying a small fortune w

quietly. 'A man who interfered with a lady there was liable to get into trouble. Progress wor

of civilisation,'

ing, I should say,'

quite,

es' epitaph on the Spartans who fell at Thermopyl?, or a Tragedy of Sophocles, or the Aphrodite of Syracuse,

r, 'you were telling m

call her?' Logothe

foresee. Fate loves unexpected contrasts. Logotheti told his companion the story of the ruby mine, substantially as it was narrated at the beginning of this tale, not dreamin

ghts,' said Mr. Van Torp, as i

of a good old Persian merchant, under the protection of his wife, and learned that there was a world called Europe where her man might be living, and cities called Paris and London, where people pay fabulous prices for precious stones. Persian merchants are generally well-educated men, you know. At last she made up her mind to dress like a man, she picked up an honest Turkish man-servant who had been all over Europe with a diplomatist and could speak some French and English as well as Tartar, she got

r when he had refused her proffered gift. 'That's very interesting, Mr. Logothet

. No longe

ome night?' asked the American. 'Day after to

'Since you ask me, I see no reason why I

and hour, and each sudden

parent interest, 'I hope Madame Cordova is

sifal. I believe I'm not musical enough for that, so I'm roving till it's over. That's

of her,' said Van Torp. 'Excuse me if I made a mist

, 'but I believe she prefers to be called by her own name

f after

lf-past-I sha

said that to his very great regret he had been called away suddenly, and hoped that Logotheti would forgive him

days earlier, very soon after he had parted from Logotheti in Pall Mall