At any rate
he was walking alone in the early morning, and somewhere along the
shore to the south of the lighthouse, when he came on a body lying on
the seaweed in a gully of the rocks.
"It was the body of a woman, clad only in a nightdress. As he
stooped over her, Lucien saw that she was exceeding beautiful; yet
not a girl, but a well-developed woman of thirty or thereabouts, with
heavy coils of dark hair, well-rounded shoulders, and (as he
described it to me later on) a magnificent throat.
"He had reason enough to remark her throat, for as he turned the body
over--it lay on its right side--to place a hand over the heart, if
perchance some life lingered, the nightdress, open at the throat,
disclosed one, two, three superb necklaces of diamonds. There were
rings of diamonds on her fingers, too, and afterwards many fine gems
were found sewn within a short vest or camisole of silk she wore
under her nightdress. But Lucien's eyes were fastened on the three
necklaces.
"Doubtless the poor lady, aroused in her berth as the ship struck,
had clasped these hurriedly about her throat before rushing on deck.
So, might her life be spared, she would save with it many thousands
of pounds.
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