THE BLACK OPAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 35, 6 March 1909, Page 3

THE BLACK OPAL.

It was a most inhospitable morning for tlioiu who had to go about their business in tiie streets. In that gloomy and searching fog the blood seemed to stand still. The sound of footsteps echoed drearily, aud the rumble oi traffic was'like a menace. Some sense of these things came to Jlullie Fehlav as she stood for a moment at the window of her own particular room; she refused to call it a boudoir, because, being neither humbug nor snob, she confessed that before she married Dr. felday she had no particular room of her own. Probably the daughter of most poor country parsons would hardly have been so candid." And now she was a widow"—a three years' widow—and, as things go—almost rich,

| She drew the curtains on the fog and tim street, turned on the electric light, aud cm-led herself up in a great armchair. £jiie used to do that m the old nursery, but then the armchair was faded and springlcss, and there were no silk-covered cushions against which you could ueslle your head. This, she thought, was a very pleasant life, pleasant but perhaps a little dull, \outh still sang iu her bloody and somehow she had uiUsed the best of youth. JJut she •did not put it to herself quite ia that way.

Mollie was in a half-dream when Mrs. Penrose slipped into the room. "L didn't trouble to send up my name " "Of course not."

"Because 1 knew I should find you just here. Don't move, dear child. Curled up there you look perfectly lovely." "Do 1?" said Mollie. "Well, anyway, it's comfortable.' 3

"So few people, particularly wouien, 'can be really comfortable and look pretty at the same time." "Most women, L suppose, think too much about looking pretty." "If you're attacking me, Mollie," said Mrs. Penrose, "you're all wrong. 1 couldn't look pretty if 1. tried—so 1 don't try." "Dear Muriel, 1 wasn't thinking of you, or of anyone in particular. It's ju*t the kind of thing one says."

"Ah!" said Mrs. Penrose. ".So you're getting to that stage now, are you? "The kind of thing one says,' stage is dangerous. You weren't within sight oi it a year ago."

iloUie'uncurled herself aud stood up. tier slight, buoyant ligure seemed almost unreal in that nrtilieial light. ''The last year,'' she said, drawing a low chair eloso to -Mrs. Penrose, "the last year lias seemed altogether strange, Muriel/'

"ies, yes," said Ill's. Penrose, resting a light hand 011 .Mollie's shoulder. "1 ean quite understand* that. But you arc happy r

"Not altogether." '•Of course not; but reasonably happy 1" "t'lll not at all sure/' .Mrs. Penrose smiled, and, stooping, kissed -Mollie's forehead. If she was not pretty, she had at least an air of distinction that was beautiful, and a frank tenderness not to be confused with sentimentaliyn.

"Well," she said, "you don't look particularly miserable, Mollic. . . . ity tho way, 1 was at l'roiessor Ewart's last night. I rather expected to see you there." "I wasn't invited," said Mollic. "llut he never does send you particular invitations, does lie? 1 always understood that his door, as they say, was on the latch to you at any time. I'm sure lie was disappointed not to see you." "I'm sure lie could get along ■very well without me?" said Mollic, a little petulantly. "My dear child, I'm not suggesting that he couldn't. You haven't beeu foolish enough to quarrel with him, have you?" "Quarrel with him'! Dear me, 110. Why should I?"

"One uever knows," said Mrs. Penrose. "Anyway, it "was a particularly delightful evening, lie showed us his collection of gems. Have you ever seen the wonderful black opal?"

"No; he promised to show it to me some day.'' '•I expect he really brought it out especially for you, and tltfn you weren't there to'see it. By the way, l. was surprised to see Captain Dennison." "Captain Dennison! But 1 thought ' Mollie paused abruptly and stared into the fire. "So did everyone else," said Mrs. I enrose. "llut he was invalided home from Malta."

"lie's been ill, then?" "Very ill, 1 should imagine, but lies not the sort uf man to talk about his troubles." "Of course," said Mollic, a a lowvoice, "he's very brave." "Like all the Dennisons,' said Mrs. 'Penrose, rising. "Tlicy never admit defeat. 'f hey would always go down with the ship." "That's splendid, isn't it?" When Mrs. Penrose had gone Mollie returned to tin' armchair, but now she did not curl herself up ra it. She leant forward, with her elbows 011 her knee*, and her face resting between her band-, and let her thoughts wander. She felt that she was a very useless person, on whom, for some reason or other, the world had taken pity. Perhaps it was because she was altogether too feeble a thing to be admitted into that great struggle which meant life. She repeated to herself, "they would always go down with the ship,'' and lelt utterly hopeless and humiliated. Slit was just passive, she concluded, iu an active world. Mollic wa-. still thinking these barren thoughts wheu Professor Kwart w'as announced. She rose to greet him with a touch of embarrassment: she felt a little like a naughty child. "You're verv warm and cosy here, ..c said. hoUling'her hand for a moment"lt's cold and miserable outside. '

"That's why I shut it all out." "Ah," said" the Professor, choosing a chair near the lire and spreading Ins slim bands again>l the glow. "It s llie privilege of »mue people to shut things out.''

-Now you're going lo lecture me." "Not at all. not at all," be said. -'I only lecture professionally, and that's wearisome enough." Mollie did not feel at all sure about that. But when the Professor smiled a: h"er. any idea of resentment instantl} vanished.

'•Very well," she said, "you may say just wiiat you like." "Even as your father's closest friend, I could hardiv claim that privilege. But 1 admit that 1 was disappointed not to see you last night." "I was tired," said Mollie, "and also I had forgotten the date, and 1 was thinking." , "As a matter of fact, you didu t want to lie bored." "You never, never bore me! "1 fear the world is not altogether ot your opinion," said the Proiessor, smdiil« benevolently at his own lingers. "Last night, however, I was nut lecturing 1 was just showing to a few people niy'very choice collection of gems." "They're lovely," said Mollie. "I should rather say, wonderful and mysterious," said the Professor As a biologist 1 am permitted these little eccentricities. One must keep ill touctt with romance.'' After a pause he turned to her and said: "You've seen all mv collection, 1 think, except the black opal? But I. always .intended that you should see it sour

now." said Mollie, "1 suppose you're Boing tosay tliat I've missed tho chance'!' 51r*. r-nrosc told mc this moi-Hintr that Slw savvilla4 •uiKht "I trust Mrs. Penrose appreciated tut. privilege. In spite of your defection, however, 1 iini prepared to give you a private view." , i Professor Kwavt's tone luid alteltu I 8li«litlv; a hint of tile lecture-manner scehicd to have crept into it- * 0 ic watched him intently as lie slipped Jus hand into an inside pocket, from which I |,c produced a little leather case. "Most of my gems, as you know, arc I unset." he said, "but Ibis was so exquisitely mounted that X left the worthless "Old alone." He opened the ca»e. "Conic a little nearer, eluld; bring your chair right under the light." Mollie obeyed, -and out of the caio the Professor took a rinj:. At lirst -ie held it away from her, showing only tho hoop. ~ , "The diamond." lie said, "eompauu with the opal, and particularly the black opal, is a mere Haunting beauty; it Uings itself at you, as it were. Tile has delicacy and reserve as well as passion." He turned the gem towards Mollic and continued:

"At times it may look us black as ;i I pan! at miduighl: i chauji;.- the position, nnil you see lights beckoning from a'ia>'; I change it again, and you seem to sec the pulsation ol a living heart. This gem is compact of the sun and moon, and its mystery is as wonderful as life itself.'' "It's very beautiful," said Mollic, rather breathlessly. ''Beautiful!" cried the Professor. ■•Beautiful is a poor word! 1 tell you that this opal has force, personality, control!" '•I thought,'' said iMollie, "that you

weren't going to lecture." "I've finished," said the Professor. "You don't make an appreciative audi--I'inT. llollie! I meant t" have told you how this opal had changed the current of lives and—well, perhaps, made the world less dull." "You're not angry with me, are you?" "My dear child, I don't know that 1

was ever really angry in my life, ex-

Lcpt," he added, "with a crass aud imipeni'trnble ignorance, and even then I (win more dismayed than angry.''

"I'm dreadfully ignorant," said ifollie. "I admit," said the Professor, inking her hand and patting it gently, "I ad- ■ mit that you seem strangely ignorant of some tilings. But there may be charm even in that,"

!old friend. Yet he had taken the trouble

I .Uoilie lelt more lonely than ever after I Professor Swart had departed. She felt that in some way she had oJl'ended her to bring the black opal; a singular proceeding for so careful and methodical a man.

. afternoon was as dismal as tli* morning; wlieu she looked out into the street she saw nothing but swirling fog. Mie wished that she kaew the secret ol the Professor's black opal, which could make the world less dull. And he had not said a word about Captain Dennb son.

Site had almost made up her mind, iu sheer desperation, to fnee the fog and pay some calls, when Captain Dennison mined up. The change in him startled her; hor breUh caught. "Don't be alarmed," he said, laughing, and his laugh, at any rate, had not changed. "Inn on the right road now, putting on Jlesh every day." "I. only heard, this morning that you'd beeu ill. Mrs, Penrose told me. *\Vhy didn't you write?"

"I hardly thought you'd like me to.'' Mollic Hushed, and shot a glance A annoyance at him.

"Captain Dennison," she said, "you might at least give me credit for ordinary humanity."

"1 give you credit," he said, "'for more than that, lint ordinary humanity, being, after all, quite commonplace, isn't always ready to make up quarrels." '■Quarrels, Captain DennisonP "1 thought it was a quarrel, Mrs. Pelda v."

"(eriiimiy," said Moilie, "you were distinctly unpleasant; you said unkind things." "I intended nothing unkind. I only presumed lo hint that you were leading rather an aimless aud butterfly life, that-—''

"Are you going lo repeat it all over again ?"

".No, no. J was only trying to explain." "Still," said 'ilollie pensively, "you might have written." "I'm horribly sorry now that I didn't." After a long pause Alollie said: "And alter all X daresay you weru quite right. The deal' old l'rot'essor told mc the same thing, but then thu Professor is dill'erent."

''Xo doubt! 1 saw him last night. 1 expected to see you there. lie showed us his black opal." Ho willed this morning, and 1)0 brought the black opal with him." "Extraordinary!" ■ said the Captain 'l'm sure he wouldn't have done that for anyone else." "You see," -said Mollic, ''he was mj father's dearest friend."

Suddenly the Captain stooped and picked up something from the heart'jrug. "Bless my soul," he cried, "lie's left the wonderful opal behind him!" Mollie gave a little startled cry and leant forward. ' Sure enough, the gem lay iu the Captain's palm. "l'oor Professor," Mollie almost sobbed. ''l must take it round to him at once."

"I'll take it, and explain. Did he tell you all about it ?" "Ho said that it was compact of the sun and moon, and tint it possessed force, personality, aud control." "Almost his very words of last night, said the Captain. "The Professor 13 a strange enthusiast; but there may be something in what he says. Do you mind holding out your hand?" he added, smilingly. Mollie" obeyed 11 little tremulously, and the Captain slipped the ring 011 one of her lingers. After a pause, he said: "Does the magic begin to work?" "I feel—stance, somehow," she hallwhispered. "Force, personality, and control," he repeated. Then he bent and kissed her hand. Still it lay in his. She seemed to see him mistily. Was the. Professor right? Then she saw the Captain quite clearly, lie was stooping over her and pleading for her love. It was at this point that the Professor dashed iu.

"Where's my opal?" he cried. "It must have dropped l'rom the case in this room.''

Captain Dennison did not show the least confusion, lie drew himself up aud looked steadily at the Professor. "You did leave it in this room," lie said. "At this mmneiil it's 011 Mollie's finger." "Well, of all the impertinence—' gasped the Professor. -Alollie was trying to slip oil' the ring, but suddenly she folt the Profes-soi's band 011 her iii'iu. lie beamed down upon her. "Don't take it oil'," lie said, "do:i't take it off. I think I understand. Force:, personality, and control, eh, Dennison?" "Ask Mollie," said the Captain. "I believe you planued this between you!" cried Mollie, laughing happily. But the accusation was not answered then,—(.'. Kennett Burrow, iu "M.A.P.'