[Illustration: HE THREW THE NECKLACE AROUND CORALIE’S NECK]
Two slaves appeared, and after bowing before Merlin, showed Coralie and her mother to the door.
Coralie, of course, was delighted with the necklace. All her life long she had wished for jewelry, but her parents could not afford to get her anything but the pretty seal ring which she wore. As to getting such a necklace as Merlin had given her, it would have taken everything they owned in the world to so much as buy the diamond clasp.
When she went back to school, the girls all gathered about her and began to admire the necklace.
“Isn’t it beautiful!” they exclaimed. “What a lucky girl! Your people must have fallen heirs to a fortune!”
“Isn’t it pretty!” said Coralie, lifting the sparkling string for them to see better. “Yes, my father and mother gave it to me. You see, I have been ill, and they were so glad when I got well that they gave me this for a present.”
And no wonder they did, for all the sparkle left the necklace, and it looked dull and old and scratched.
“What is the matter?” asked Coralie. “Don’t you think my parents could give it to me? They bought it, and paid an immense sum for it.”
At that falsehood, the necklace turned from the light purple amethyst color to a dull gray agate, and the diamond clasp to a mud-color shade. Then Coralie saw what had happened, and she was frightened.
“No,” she said, “they did not give it to me. We went to the magician, Merlin, and he lent it to me.”
At these truthful words, the necklace became as beautiful as ever. But the children began to laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” asked Coralie. “You needn’t make fun. Merlin was very glad to see us. When he saw us in the distance he sent his carriage to meet us. It was drawn by two fawn-colored horses, and the coachman wore livery. There was a great feast spread for us, and each of us had a servant in back of our chairs. We had golden plates to eat from, and----”
Suddenly Coralie stopped speaking, for the children were laughing at her harder than ever. She looked down at her necklace. No wonder they laughed. It was dull again in color, and had grown so long it rested upon the ground.
“Ho, ho, Coralie!” cried one. “Come, now! You are stretching the truth! Set us right!”