"Oh yes, madam, but these are only the stones that her Grace wears occasionally. I have been told," he went on, "that their brilliance never lasts with her, and that long before the Drawing-room, or whatever the function may be, is over, they look as if they had been black-leaded. You can quite understand, sir," he said, turning to Alfred Whittaker, "that it is positive pain to me to sell any of our best diamonds to such a wearer." "Well," said Alfred, "the lady who is going to wear these earrings will never, I think, trouble you in the same way." "Oh no!" said Julia. And then, somehow, the idea was born that Alfred Whittaker should give a little trifle of remembrance to Regina and their daughter. The little trifle of remembrance consisted of a very handsome turquoise ring for the mother and a very smart bangle for the girl. "I had no idea, dear daddy," said Julia, "of your buying me anything to-day. I have been wanting one of these bangles for, oh! such a long time." "And you never breathed it!" said Regina. "I never thought of it," said Julia; "but I am all the more delighted because I did not think of anything for myself." Then they departed carrying with them the lovely earrings which Maudie was to wear in remembrance of home as long as she should live. "They know you in that shop, daddy," said Julia, as they walked back toward Piccadilly. "Oh yes, I have gone there for years; but how do you know that they knew me?" "Oh--from the way they said 'good day' to you when you went in, and then you brought the earrings away with you and only paid for them by cheque--to say nothing of my beautiful bangle and mother's ring." At this Alfred Whittaker laughed and said that being known at shops like this was one of the advantages of having a solid business behind one. Then they looked into one or two windows, and Mrs. Whittaker beguiled Alfred into a certain lace shop under the excuse that she was going to wear a lace garment at the wedding and that she wanted him to help her to choose it. Then they went to some very smart tea-rooms and refreshed themselves after the usual manner of five o'clock, and then they went home to Ye Dene, where they found Maudie, who had just come in, struggling with a perfect avalanche of presents. "Where did you get that heart?" said Julia, looking fixedly at her sister. Maudie's hand, the one with the diamonds on it, touched the jewel. "Oh, my heart," she said in her soft, cooing voice. "Harry has been over, he brought it from town--he wants me to wear it always. See, it's got a little miniature of him at the back. He thought I should like to have it to be married in--just his heart, you know--because I had decided not to wear my necklace, or--my--er--fender."