CHAPTER LXXII 



MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND PEARLS 



of the shells you have just shown us," 

 said Jules, " shine inside like the handle of 

 that pretty penknife you bought me the day of the 

 fair you know? that four-bladed penknife with 

 the mother-of-pearl handle." 



"That is plain enough. Mother-of-pearl, that 

 pretty substance that shines with all the colors of 

 the rainbow, comes from certain shells. We use for 

 delicate ornamentation what was once the dwelling 

 of a glairy animal, near relation to the oyster. 

 Truly, this dwelling is a veritable palace in richness. 

 It shines with all imaginable tints, as if the rainbow 

 had deposited its colors there. 



"This is the shell that furnishes the most beau- 

 tiful mother-of-pearl. It is called the meleagrina 

 margnritifVra. Outside it is wrinkled and blackish- 

 green; inside it is smoother than polished marble, 

 richer in color than the rainbow. All tints are found 

 tin-re, hriuht, hut soft and changeable, according to 

 the point of view." 



"That superb shell is the house of a miserable, 

 slimy animal ! Tn fairy tales the fairies themselves 

 have 1 1 n 1 1 r t o equal it. Oh ! how beautiful, how beau- 

 tifnl it i 



"Every one has his portion in this world. The 



