Poor children! he thinks, with a pitying sadness.
Finding that his watch has stopped, he turns into the jeweller's
shop, to have it wound and set. The jeweller is knowing on the
subject of a bracelet, which he begs leave to submit, in a general
and quite aimless way. It would suit (he considers) a young bride,
to perfection; especially if of a rather diminutive style of
beauty. Finding the bracelet but coldly looked at, the jeweller
invites attention to a tray of rings for gentlemen; here is a style
of ring, now, he remarks--a very chaste signet--which gentlemen are
much given to purchasing, when changing their condition. A ring of
a very responsible appearance. With the date of their wedding-day
engraved inside, several gentlemen have preferred it to any other
kind of memento.
The rings are as coldly viewed as the bracelet. Edwin tells the
tempter that he wears no jewellery but his watch and chain, which
were his father's; and his shirt-pin.
'That I was aware of,' is the jeweller's reply, 'for Mr. Jasper
dropped in for a watch-glass the other day, and, in fact, I showed
these articles to him, remarking that if he SHOULD wish to make a
present to a gentleman relative, on any particular occasion--But he
said with a smile that he had an inventory in his mind of all the
jewellery his gentleman relative ever wore; namely, his watch and
chain, and his shirt-pin.
Pages:
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218