d, her features delicate and regular.
Evidently, this had been a great beauty. To Margaret, gazing at her in
honest admiration, she was still one of the most beautiful creatures
that could be seen.

Mrs. Peyton laughed under the girl's simple look of pleasure. "You like
my new jacket?" she said. "The doctor never so much as noticed it this
morning. I think I shall send him away, and get another, who has eyes in
his head. You are the only person who really cares for my clothes,
Margaret, and they are the only interest I have in the world."

"I wish you wouldn't talk so!" said Margaret, colouring. "You don't mean
it, and why will you say it?"

"I do mean it!" said the beautiful lady. "I mean every word of it.
There's nothing else to care for, except you, you dear little
old-fashioned thing. I like you, because you are quaint and truthful.
Have you seen my pink pearl? You are not half observant, that's the
trouble with you, Margaret Montfort."

She held out her slender hand; Margaret took it, and bent over it
affectionately. "Oh, what a beautiful ring!" she cried. "I never saw a
pink pearl like this before, Mrs. Peyton, so brilliant, and such a deep
rose colour. Isn't it very wonderful?"

"The jeweller thought so," said Mrs. Peyton. "He asked enough for it; it
might have been the companion to Cleopatra's. The opal setting is
pretty, too, don't you think? And I have some new stones. You will like
to see those."

She took up a small bag of chamois leather, that lay on the bed beside
her, opened it, and a handful of precious stones rolled out on the lace
spread. Margaret caught after one and another in alarm. "Oh! Oh, Mrs.
Peyton, they frighten me! Why, this diamond--I never saw such a diamond.
It's as big as a pea."

"Imperfect!" said the lady. "A flaw in it, you see; but the colour is
good, and it does just as well for a plaything, though I don't like
flawed things, as a rule. This sapphire is a good one,--deep, you see; I
like a deep sapphire."

"This light one is nearer your eyes," said Margaret, taking up a lovely
clear blue stone.

"Flatterer! People used to say that once; a long time ago. Heigh ho,
Margaret, don't ever grow old! Take poison, or throw yourself out of the
window, but don't grow old. It's a shocking thing to do."

Margaret looked at her friend with troubled, affectionate eyes, and laid
her hand on the jewelled fingers.

"Oh, I mean it!" said the lady, with a pretty little grimace. "I mean
i