The Scarswicke Emerald then was of scarabæoid form and of vast size. Though not free from flaws, these seemed rather to increase than to diminish the flashing lustre of the gem. The upper surface was of rounded form, the lower flat, and on the under side was engraved, by the cunning hand of some long-haired Greek of Alexandria, the contemporary bust of Cleopatra, with her twisted hair and full, luscious Egyptian lips, and wearing, like Isis herself, the vulture head-attire of a Queen. Below the bust, a cartouch or oval contained the delicately engraved name of the Queen in the hieroglyphs of the ancient cult of the land of Khem. A thin band of ancient gold encircled the jewel, on which were several inscriptions. The first, in minute Cufic characters, contained the words, "Suleiman-ibn-Am'r Kul: Allahu Ahad. Allahu-s-Samad. (Say, God is One, God the Eternal.”—Kuran, cxii. i.), followed by the double triangle, the favourite Muslim charm called the Seal of Solomon, and esteemed sovereign against evil spirits. Then in beautiful Gothic letters appeared AMAVRIVS: HIER: REX, and lastly IOHAN DE SCARSVVIKE, followed by a Cross. It thus appears that the Emerald had been owned and used as a talisman by the son of the first Mohammedan Conqueror of Egypt; that it had fallen into the

armour.

hands of Amaury, the Latin King of Jerusalem; and family tradition asserted that it had been given by that monarch to that Sir John de Scarswicke who, returning from the Crusades, was buried on the South side of the Chancel of Scarswicke Church, under an altar tomb which supports his effigy clothed in chain But the story of this marvellous jewel is not even yet complete. It appears that, some two hundred years later, a Baron Scarswicke was sent as ambassador to an Italian State, and taking the Emerald with him, delivered it into the hands of no less a craftsman than Benvenuto Cellini himself, who wrought for it, with his matchless skill, in gold and enamels, a frame in the shape of a pendant, in which, since that time, it had hung, revolving, so as to show either side at will to the admiring beholder. Such was the great "Scarswicke Emerald,” and it was observed that, while the Duchess of Ribblesdale wore her superb Diamonds on state occasions when she received her acquaintances, she wore the Emerald when she received her kindred and friends.

On the death of the Duke, the Duchess had been left sole guardian of their son, for whom, on his leaving Dr. Massenger's, which he did at the end of the term of Wilfred Manwaring's expulsion, a com

mission had been obtained in the Royal Life Guards, and the young Duke lived in handsome chambers in Arlington Street, with a back view over the park. The great, gaunt mansion in St. James's Square, known as Ribblesdale House, was let until such time as he should come of age. It is scarcely too much to say that there was no finer young fellow in all England than the Duke of Ribblesdale. To begin with, he was extremely good-looking. Of middle height and good figure, he was at once strong and agile. He had bright, open, hazel eyes, brown hair just waving at the end, though it was seldom long enough to allow a curl to form, and a brown, ruddy complexion. Fun and good-humour lurked at the corners of his well-shaped lips, which were shaded by short, well-trimmed moustachios of a sunny brown. Everyone pronounced him a capital fellow all round. His brother-officers, or at all events the better part of them, found him the best and cheeriest of comrades, and the private soldiers of his regiment loved him to a man. Above all, there was not a grain even of affectation about him. Young as he was, he was a thorough Man, which in these days of languid, effete, lackadaisical æsthetes, is saying a good deal. Unlike many other young nobles of his class, he did not drink, he did not gamble, he did not bet-except

sometimes with ladies, and then he was miserable if

he won and he did not go shares with any millionaire Jew financier in the venal affections of a French actress or Italian ballet-dancer. No one, however, could come near the young Duke at polo; he was a good shot; could hold his own with most competitors by the side of a salmon river; and, lastly, he adored his mother, and was an excellent and attentive son. Not a week elapsed, when he was quartered in London, without his riding down to Hampton Court, or pulling up the river in order to visit the Duchess, who, it need scarcely be said, was wrapt up in her only son.

MHE HE following evening Evelyn fulfilled her engagement, and punctually at eight o'clock arrived at the Duchess's apartments, where, according to promise, she was introduced to the Miss Hazelhursts. These ladies were the sisters of the late, and aunts of the present Squire of Hazelhurst, in the beautiful Weald of Kent. They were now very old, and were passing a happy and serene old age, honoured and beloved by all who knew them. The Miss Hazelhursts were twins; but as Miss Grace had come into the world some three minutes before her sister, Miss Apollonia, it was settled between them that the former should on all occasions have the precedence, and be considered as the possessor of all the rights and privileges of primo