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THE PRICELESS PEARL
THE PRICELESS
PEARL
BY
ALICE DUER MILLER
AUTHOR OF
"Manslaughter," "Come Out of the Kitchen,"
"Are Parents People?" etc.
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
1924
Copyright 1923, 1924
By Alice Duer Miller
Printed in U. S. A.
THE PRICELESS PEARL
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| CHAPTER I | 1 |
| CHAPTER TWO | 53 |
| CHAPTER THREE | 94 |
| CHAPTER FOUR | 141 |
THE PRICELESS PEARL
CHAPTER I
"The girl is simply too good-looking," said Bunner, the office manager,in a high, complaining voice. "She is industrious, intelligent,punctual and well-mannered, but simply too good-looking—a disturbingelement in the office on account of her appearance. I made a gravemistake in engaging her."
The president, who had been a professor of botany at a greatuniversity before he resigned in order to become head of The UniversalEncyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge Publishing Corporation, was atrifle deaf, but had not as yet admitted the fact to himself; and heinquired with the patient, slightly contemptuous surprise of the deaf,"But I do not understand why she is crying."
"It is not she who is crying," answered the office manager regretfully;"it is Mr. Rixon,[Pg 2] our third vice president. He is crying because hehas most unfortunately become interested in the young woman—fallen inlove with her—so my stenographer tells me."
The president peered through his bifocal lenses. He did not wish to bethought one of those unsophisticated scientists who understand only theplain unpsychological process of plants. He inquired whether the girlhad encouraged the third vice president, whether, in a word, she hadgiven him to understand that she took a deeper interest in him thanwas actually the fact, "the disappointment of the discovery being thedirect cause of the emotional outbreak which you have just described."
Bunner hesitated. He would have liked to consider that Mis