56
WYLDER'S HjHVD
darling little thing; and — look now — is not it magnifi-
cent?'
She arrested the file of gentlemen just by a large lamp,
before whose effulgence she presented the subject of her
eulogy — one of those costly trifles which announce the ap-
proach of Hymen, as flowers spring up before the rosy
steps of May.
Well, it was pretty — a set of tablets — a toy — the
cover of enamel, studded in small jewels, with a slender
border of symbolic flowers, and with a heart in the center,
a mosaic of little carbuncles, rubies, and other red and
crimson stones, placed with a view to light and shade.
"Exquisite, indeed !" said Lord Chelford. "Is this
yours, Mrs. Wylder?"
"Mine, indeed !" laughed poor little Mrs. Dorothy.
"Well, dear me, no, indeed; " — and in an earnest whis-
per close in his ear —" a present to Miss Brandon, and the
donor is not a hundred miles away from your elbow, my
Lord!" and she winked slyly, and laughed, with a little
nod at Wylder.
"Oh! I see — to be sure — really, Wylder, it does
your taste infinite credit."
"I'm glad you like it," says Wylder, chuckling be-
nignantly on it, over his shoulder. "I believe I have a
little taste that way; those are all real, you know,
those jewels."
"Oh, yes! of course. Have you seen it, Captain
Lake?" And he placed it in that gentleman's fingers,
who now took his turn at the lamp, and contemplated ths
little parallelogram with a gleam of sly amusement.
"What are you laughing at?" asked Wylder, a little
snappishly.
"I was thinking it's very like the ace of hearts," an-
swered the Captain softly, smiling on.