The Path of Duty, and Other StoriesCaswell, Harriet S. (Harriet Sophia)
General
The Path of Duty, and Other Stories
Caswell, Harriet S. (Harriet Sophia)
Country life -- Fiction; Family -- Fiction; Friendship -- Fiction; Pastoral fiction; Short stories
The shopkeeper burnished up the setting of the diamonds and
placed the ring among many others in the show-case upon his counter. But
so expensive an ornament as this does not always find a ready purchaser,
and for some months it remained unsold. One afternoon a gentleman
entered the shop to make some trifling purchase, and, as the shopkeeper
happened to be engaged with a customer, he remained standing at the
counter, till he should be at leisure, and his eye wandered carelessly
over the articles in the show-case. Suddenly he started, changed
countenance, and when the shopkeeper came forward to attend to him he
said in voice of suppressed eagerness, "will you allow me to examine
that ring," pointing as he spoke to the diamond ring sold by Ellen
Harris. "Certainly, Sir, certainly," said the obliging shop-keeper, who,
hoping that the ring had at last found a purchaser, immediately placed
it in his hand for inspection. The gentleman turned the ring in his
hand, and carefully examined the sparkling diamonds as well as the
antique setting; and when he observed the initials, engraved upon the
inside, he grew pale as marble, and hurriedly addressed the astonished
shopkeeper saying, "In the name of pity, tell me where you obtained this
ring?" "I am very willing to inform you," said the man "how this ring
came into my possession. Several months ago a young girl, of very
delicate and lady-like appearance, brought this ring here and desired me
to purchase it. She seemed very anxious to dispose of the ornament, and,
thinking I could easily sell it again, I paid her a fair price and took
the ring, and that is all I can tell you about the matter." "You do not
know the lady's name?" said the gentleman anxiously. "I do not," replied
the man, "but I have frequently seen her pass in the street. The
circumstance of her selling me this valuable ring caused me to notice
her particularly, and I recognized her countenance ever after." "Name
your price for the ring," said the gentleman,--"I must purchase it at
any price; and the next thing, I must, if possible, find the young lady
who brought it here, I have seen this ring before, and that is all I
wish to say of the matter at present; but is there no way in which you
can assist me in obtaining an interview with this young lady?" "I have
no knowledge of her name or residence; but if you were in my shop when
she chanced to pass here I could easily point her out to you in the
street." "You may think my conduct somewhat strange," said the
gentleman, "but believe me my reasons for seeking an interview with this
young lady are most important and if you can point her out to me in the
street I will endeavour to learn her residence, as that will be
something gained." Before the gentleman left the shop he paid for the
ring, and placed it in his pocket. For several days, he frequented the
shop of the jeweller with the hope of gaining a view of the lady. At
length one morning the shop-keeper suddenly directed his attention to a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account