her white arms, and innumerable rings upon her dainty fingers. Wise
men may decry the baleful fascination of jewels, but, none the less,
the jeweller's window continues to draw the crowd.

Like brilliant moths that appear only at night, jewels are tabooed in
the day hours. Dame Fashion sternly condemns gems in the day time as
evidence of hopelessly bad taste. No jewels are permitted in any
ostentatious way, and yet a woman may, even in good society, wear a
few thousand dollars' worth of precious stones, without seeming to be
overdressed, provided the occasion is appropriate, as in the case of
functions held in darkened rooms.

In the evening when shoulders are bared and light feet tread fantastic
measures in a ball room, which is literally a bower of roses, there
seems to be no limit as regards jewels. In such an assembly a woman
may, without appearing overdressed, adorn herself with diamonds
amounting to a small fortune.

During a season of grand opera in Chicago, a beautiful white-haired
woman sat in the same box night after night without attracting
particular attention, except as a woman of acknowledged beauty. At a
glance it might be thought that her dress, although elegant, was
rather simple, but an enterprising reporter discovered that her gown
of rare old lace, with the pattern picked out here and there with chip
diamonds, had cost over fifty-five thousand dollars. The tiara,
collar, and few rings she wore, swelled the grand total to more than
three hundred thousand dollars.

Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, and opals--these
precious stones have played a tremendous part in the world's history.
Empires have been bartered for jewels, and for a string of pearls many
a woman has sold her soul. It is said that pearls mean tears, yet they
are favourite gifts for brides, and no maiden fears to wear them on
her way up the aisle where her bridegroom waits.

A French writer claims that if it be true that the oyster can be
forced to make as many pearls as may be required of it, the jewel will
become so common that my lady will no longer care to decorate herself
with its pale splendour. Whether or not this will ever be the case, it
is certain that few gems have played a more conspicuous part in
history than this.

Not only have we Cleopatra's reckless draught, but there is also a
story of a noble Roman who dissolved in vinegar and drank a pearl
worth a million sesterces, which had adorned the ear of the