The Ivory Child

  CHAPTER VI

  THE BONA FIDE GOLD MINE

  Fully two years had gone by since I bade farewell to Lord Ragnall andMiss Holmes, and when the curtain draws up again behold me seated on thestoep of my little house at Durban, plunged in reflection and very sadindeed. Why I was sad I will explain presently.

  In that interval of time I had heard once or twice about Lord Ragnall.Thus I received from Scroope a letter telling of his lordship's marriagewith Miss Holmes, which, it appeared, had been a very fine affairindeed, quite one of the events of the London season. Two Royaltiesattended the ceremony, a duke was the best man, and the presentsaccording to all accounts were superb and of great value, including apriceless pearl necklace given by the bridegroom to the bride. A cuttingfrom a society paper which Scroope enclosed dwelt at length upon thesplendid appearance of the bridegroom and the sweet loveliness of thebride. Also it described her dress in language which was Greek to me.One sentence, however, interested me intensely.

  It ran: "The bride occasioned some comment by wearing only one ornament,although the Ragnall family diamonds, which have not seen the light formany years, are known to be some of the finest in the country. It wasa necklace of what appeared to be large but rather roughly polishedrubies, to which hung a small effigy of an Egyptian god also fashionedfrom a ruby. It must be added that although of an unusual nature onsuch an occasion this jewel suited her dark beauty well. Lady Ragnall'sselection of it, however, from the many she possesses was the cause ofmuch speculation. When asked by a friend why she had chosen it, she isreported to have said that it was to bring her good fortune."

  Now why did she wear the barbaric marriage gift of Harut and Marut inpreference to all the other gems at her disposal, I wondered. The thingwas so strange as to be almost uncanny.

  The second piece of information concerning this pair reached me throughthe medium of an old _Times_ newspaper which I received over a yearlater. It was to the effect that a son and heir had been born to LordRagnall and that both mother and child were doing well.

  So there's the end to a very curious little story, thought I to myself.