restored to you under certain strange conditions. As for my
daughter, she is merely a child, and has as yet, I am glad to say,
but little interest in such appurtenances of idle luxury. I am also
informed by Mrs. Otis, who, I may say, is no mean authority upon
Art--having had the privilege of spending several winters in Boston
when she was a girl--that these gems are of great monetary worth,
and if offered for sale would fetch a tall price. Under these
circumstances, Lord Canterville, I feel sure that you will recognise
how impossible it would be for me to allow them to remain in the
possession of any member of my family; and, indeed, all such vain
gauds and toys, however suitable or necessary to the dignity of the
British aristocracy, would be completely out of place among those
who have been brought up on the severe, and I believe immortal,
principles of republican simplicity. Perhaps I should mention that
Virginia is very anxious that you should allow her to retain the box
as a memento of your unfortunate but misguided ancestor. As it is
extremely old, and consequently a good deal out of repair, you may
perhaps think fit to comply with her request. For my own part, I
confess I am a good deal surprised to find a child of mine
expressing sympathy with mediaevalism in any form, and can only
account for it by the fact that Virginia was born in one of your
London suburbs shortly after Mrs. Otis had returned from a trip to
Athens.'

Lord Canterville listened very gravely to the worthy Minister's
speech, pulling his grey moustache now and then to hide an
involuntary smile, and when Mr. Otis had ended, he shook him
cordially by the hand, and said, 'My dear sir, your charming little
daughter rendered my unlucky ancestor, Sir Simon, a very important
service, and I and my family are much indebted to her for her