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III.
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LA PELEGRINA.
F
ROM time immemorial
pearls have competed with diamonds for the first place as objects of
beauty. In some countries indeed, notably in Persia, the post of honor
has been awarded to them in spite of the brilliant flashes of their
more showy rivals.
Pearls
differ in one essential respect from other precious gems in that they
require no aid to enhance their beauty. They need only to be found, and
the less they are handled the more perfect do they appear.
Unlike
diamonds, pearls were known to Greeks and Romans, while the area over
which they are found comprises a large portion of the globe, extending
from China to Mexico and from Scotland to Egypt. A certain pearl of
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