n tailors,
looking over their shoulders as he talked to them because he saw at
once that they were not customers who were likely to add very much to
his shop's exchequer, produced a large tray, full of rings that
glittered and sparkled and danced as though they'd been told to show
themselves off to the best possible advantage. But for Maggie at once
there was only one possible ring. It was a thin hoop of gold with three
small pearls set in the middle of it; nothing very especial about it,
it was in fact less striking than almost any other ring in the tray.
Maggie looked at the ring and the ring looked at Maggie. It was as
though the ring said, "I shall belong to you whether you take me or no."

"Now," said Martin with a little catch in his throat, "you make your
choice, Maggie." He was not a millionaire, but he did honestly intend
that whatever ring she chose she should have.

"Oh," said Maggie, whispering because the shop was so large and the
prophet so indifferent, "don't you think you'd better choose?"

At the same time she felt the anxious gaze of the three little pearls
upon her.

"No," said Martin, "I want to give you what you'd like."

"I'd like what you'd like," said Maggie, still whispering.

At this banality the prophet made a little impatient movement as though
he really could not be expected to stand waiting there for ever. Also a
magnificent lady, in furs so rich that you could see nothing of her but
her powdered nose, was waving ropes of pearls about in a blase manner
very close to them, and Maggie had a strange, entirely unreasonable
fear that this splendour would suddenly turn round and snatch the
little pearl ring and go off with it.

"I'd like that one," said Maggie, pointing. She heard the prophet sniff
his contempt, but she did not care.

Martin, although he would willingly have given her the most gorgeous
ring in the shop, was delighted to find that her taste was so good, and
like herself. He had great ideas about taste, some of his secret fears
had been lest her strange uncouth upbringing should have caused her to
like gaudy things. He could have hugged her before them all when she
chose that particular ring, which he had himself noticed as the
prettiest and neatest there.

"Just see whether it fits, darling," he said. At the word "darling" the
prophet cast another despairing look about the shop, as though he knew
well the length of time that lovers could take over these things if
they o