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76 PRECIOUS STONES.
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hardly yet relinquish their belief in the malignant powers exercised by this stone.
Respecting
the giant " Cullinan " Diamond, one of our leading Journals said with
grim humour, at the time of its publicly announced discovery,—" the
other day a South African Mine-Manager happened to see something
gleaming in the primeval clay belonging to his Imperial " limited
liability " Company- With a pardonable curiosity he put in his thumb,
and pulled out a plum, which turned out to be the biggest uncut Diamond
in the world. From that moment the poor fellow, who had, after all,
done nothing amiss, had to be protected by a small battalion of police,
all of whom doubtless wanted, like the rest of humanity, to murder him,
because he was, through no fault of his own, the victim of singularly
unhappy circumstances. Finally, the Diamond was brought to England,
insured for half a million golden sovereigns, and deposited—for better,
or worse—in the strong room of a Bank. Presumably it will be sold to
adorn the swan-like throat, or dark love-locks, of some American
million-heiress; and finally it will end its career at Monte-Carlo;
where it will be deposited as security for a loan negotiated at this
oft-fatal pawnshop, in favour of some bankrupt duke who sees no reason
why his imported wife should not wear paste." " And what of the ladies
who will wear upon their hearts this dangerous penalty of past volcanic
energy 1 Think of having the effect of an earthquake lingering in your
tiara ! Not one woman will be the prettier, or the happier, or the
gentler, because this glittering eye of a snake has been unearthed from
its lair. Wherever that Diamond goes, there will its glint be reflected
back in envious glances at the
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