[CHAPTER XV.]
RACHEL'S PEARLS.
Rachel took out her pearls from the jewel box and looked at them. They were certainly very beautiful. She had not worn them since her wedding day; and she did not see any chance of wearing them again.
In case the parting with them should grow a little hard she packed them up quickly and went to the post to register them.
It seemed to her as if she was parting with another link of the old life. But after all what did that matter! She had Luke; and it was true what Gwen had said, that Luke compensated for the loss of all else. Besides which, she knew that they both needed a change and rest, and certainly sea breezes were of more value just then than pearls locked up in her jewel case could be. Nevertheless it cost her something to part with their beauty. It was not so much their value that she had thought of as their beauty; and more than once she had taken them out simply to have the pleasure of seeing something very lovely. There was so little beauty surrounding her that she revelled in the sight of her pearls.
RACHEL TOOK OUT HER PEARLS—AND LOOKED AT THEM.
It was some time before the cousin, to whom she had sent them, wrote and told her that he believed they would fetch a very good price; and one morning at breakfast she opened a letter that was lying on the table beside her, and a cheque, much larger than she had hoped for, fell out.
Her exclamation of surprise and pleasure caused Luke to look up from the paper he was reading.