I took the little case out of my pocket, pressed the spring, and gazed at the treasure within. The fire which lay in the heart of the ruby leaped up at once to meet the illumination which I had made for it. I now perceived what I had not noticed before, that the ring contained three rubies. One of unusual size in the centre; one much smaller at each side. I saw at a glance that they had all eyes of fire, that they were beautiful, fantastic, bewitching. I suddenly pressed the little ring to my lips. "Gift from Fairyland, welcome!" I said. "Open, sesame, and let me into your magical secrets! My life is _so_ prosaic, _so_ commonplace. Comfort me, little ring! Reveal to me the world of romance! Show me dreams, bring to me visions! Speak with those fiery eyes; speak, I listen!" I suddenly stopped this rhapsody with a laugh. "If my respected father and brothers heard me now they would think that I had taken leave of my senses," I soliloquised. "Well, this is a dear little ring, and I am glad Cousin Geoffrey gave it to me. How small it is--it won't go on my tiniest finger. I wonder what kind of woman wore it last. It is of heavy make to be a woman's ring. How solid the gold is, and how quaintly carved. I see there is the device of a serpent worked very richly into the gold at each side, and the smaller ruby forms the eye. Really, this looks like witchery, a serpent with a fiery eye. Two serpents, rather, for each is complete in itself. How much to get into so little. No wonder the ring is heavy. Very different from that little slender hoop of mother's which contains the single small bright diamond, which used to delight me when I was a child." Having examined the ring from every point of view I presently blew out the precious Christmas tapers. They were much too valuable to waste, so I put them back into my box, placed the ring in its case by their side, and got into bed. The next morning I spoke to my mother. "I have been disappointed in my first effort to open the oyster-shell," I said. "What do you mean, Rosamund?" "Only that I must seek some other means to secure the necessary money to take me to the Slade School." "My darling, I wish you would put such a futile idea out of your head." "Mother dear, I cannot. It is fixed and established there by this time. I must go to the Slade School, and I must find the means for defraying the necessary expenses. Now, if I were to sell my ruby ring--" "Oh, Rose, you surely are not serious." My mother's face turned pale with apprehension. "I don't think I am," I said. "I don't believe I could part with the pretty thing. I love it already. Besides, Cousin Geoffrey did not wish me to sell it." "Rose, dear, your father doesn't know that Geoffrey left you the ring." "Very well, mother, I shan't enlighten him."