“And then St. Ambrose regards this stone as emblematical of Eucharist,” the Abbe Gevresin put in.

“Yes; but what is the ligure or ligurite?” asked Durtal.  “Conrad of Haimburg speaks of it as resembling amber; Corneille de la Pierre believes it to be violet-tinted, and St. Jerome gives us to understand that it is not identifiable; in fact, that it is but another name for the jacinth, the image of prudence, with its water of blue like the sky and changing tints.  How are we to make sure?”

“As to blue stones, we must not forget that St. Mechtildis regarded the sapphire as the very heart of the Virgin,” observed the Abbe Plomb.

“We may also add,” Durtal went on, “that a new set of variations on the subject of gems was executed in the seventeenth century by a celebrated Spanish Abbess, Maria d’Agreda, who applies to Our Mother the virtues of the precious stones spoken of by St. John in the twenty-first chapter of the Apocalypse.  According to her, the sapphire figures the serenity of Mary; the chrysolite shows forth Her love for the Church Militant, and especially for the Law of Grace; the amethyst, Her power against the hordes of hell; the jasper, Her invincible fortitude; the pearl, Her inestimable dignity—­”

“The pearl,” interrupted the Abbe Plomb, “is regarded by St. Eucher as emblematic of perfection, chastity, and the evangelical doctrine.”

“And all this time you are forgetting the meaning of other well-known gems,” cried Madame Bavoil.  “The ruby, the garnet, the aqua-marine; are they speechless?”

“No,” replied Durtal.  “The ruby speaks of tranquility and patience; the garnet, Innocent III. tells us, symbolizes charity.  St. Bruno and St. Rupert say that the aqua-marine concentrates in its pale green fire all theological science.  There yet remain two gems, the turquoise and the opal.  The former, little esteemed by the mystics, is to promote joy.  As to the second, of which the name does not occur in treatises on gems, it may be identified with chalcedony, which is described as a sort of agate of an opaque quality, dimmed with clouds and flashing fires in the shadows.

“To have done with this emblematical jewelry, we may add that the series of stones serves to symbolize the hierarchies of the angels.  But here, again, the meanings commonly received are derived from more or less forced comparisons and a tissue of notions more or less flimsy and loose.  However, it is so far established that the sard-stone suggests the Seraphim, the topaz the Cherubim, the jasper means the Thrones, the chrysolite figures the Dominions, the sapphire the Virtues, the onyx the Powers, the beryl the Principalities, the ruby the Archangels, and the emerald the Angels.”

“And it is a curious fact,” said the Abbe Plomb, “that while beasts, colours, and flowers are accepted by that symbolists sometimes with a good meaning and sometimes with an evil one, gems alone never change; they always express good qualities, and never vices.”