THE BLACK PRINCE'S RUBY. 175
lady
whose coronation it then attended we can only say we hope it may long
continue its uneventful existence at the top of the glittering pile in
the Wakefield Tower.
In
October, 1841, the crown, and all that therein is, had a narrow escape
of perishing unromantically by fire. The Tower being then used as a
military storehouse the fire rapidly spread, and it was thought
advisable to remove the crown. The keys of the strong case where the
regalia is kept are in the hands of three different officials, all at a
distance. There was no time to be lost, as the place was getting very
hot, so police inspector Pierse with a crowbar burst through the iron
bars, forced himself in and handed out the precious articles whose
value is estimated at five millions of dollars. Soldiers and policemen
ran with the coronation baubles to a place of safety, and everything
was eventually saved, though not before Inspector Pierse had been
well-nigh roasted.
This is the last adventure that the Black
