The Stolen Sapphire. Sarah Masters Buckey

go home,” she whispered to Nellie.

      “It’s all right,” Nellie whispered back. “I know him.” Then Nellie told the boy, “I can’t leave my friend.”

      The boy pointed at Samantha. “You stay there,” he told her. Then he looked at Nellie. “And you come over here.” He jerked his head, and Nellie followed him a few feet into the narrow side yard between the houses.

      The falling snow stung Samantha’s cheeks as she stood alone on the sidewalk. Nellie’s back was to her, but Samantha could see that the boy had a hard, determined expression on his face. She watched as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small package.

      What does he want? Samantha wondered as she saw Nellie shake her head.

      Feeling increasingly uneasy, Samantha stomped her boots on the frozen sidewalk and tried to warm her icy feet. The wind was beginning to blow harder, and as she turned her face from the snow, she was relieved to see the neighborhood policeman. He was coming toward them, walking quickly down the other side of the street. He paused when he saw Samantha, Nellie, and the boy in the threadbare coat.

      The policeman hesitated for a moment as he peered through the driving snow. Then he called out, “Hey! You, boy!”

      When the boy saw the patrolman heading in his direction, he said something to Nellie. Then he ran away through the side yard, back behind the houses.

      “Stop!” the policeman shouted, racing after him.

      The policeman disappeared behind the houses. But in a few minutes, he returned to Samantha and Nellie. His round face was red and he was breathing hard. “Was that boy bothering you young ladies?” he demanded.

      Samantha looked at Nellie questioningly. “No,” Nellie answered. “He just asked for some help.”

      “Help? Is that what he calls it?” the policeman asked. “Well, don’t trust him. Boys like him would rather beg and steal than do an honest day’s work.” He looked at the girls closely. “I’ve seen you young ladies often enough. You live nearby, don’t you?”

      “On the next block,” said Samantha.

      “Well, you’d better get home now. I’ll make sure that young fellow doesn’t bother you again.” The policeman waited at the corner, pacing back and forth and watching as the girls hurried down the street.

      As soon as they were far enough away, Samantha asked Nellie, “Who was that boy?”

      “His name’s Jamie O’Connor,” Nellie said in a low tone.

      “Is he a friend?”

      Nellie kicked a piece of ice on the sidewalk before she answered. “His father helped my dad when we first moved here, and our families were friends. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jamie, though.”

      She paused, and Samantha thought she was going to say something more. But then both girls heard a sharp voice calling, “Samantha! Nellie!”

      Samantha saw a square of light glowing from their tall brownstone home a few houses away. Gertrude, their housekeeper, was standing in the doorway, looking out into the snowy dusk as she called for them.

      “We’re coming!” Samantha called back.

      As the girls climbed the six marble steps that led from the sidewalk to their front door, Gertrude waited impatiently. “I can’t believe you two would come home late from school today of all days!” she scolded as she helped them take off their coats and scarves in the foyer. “Where have you been?”

      Nellie looked down at the floor, and Samantha guessed that she didn’t want to mention meeting Jamie. “Mr. Bertram gave me these,” Samantha said, handing the package of books to Gertrude. “Aunt Cornelia ordered them.”

      “Oh yes, your aunt was hoping they’d arrive,” said Gertrude, temporarily distracted. Then she continued briskly, “Now you girls had better get upstairs and check your trunks before I close them up. And then…”

      With Gertrude’s voice still chiding them, Samantha and Nellie hurried upstairs. In the center of their room, Samantha was thrilled to see two shiny black trunks, both filled with neatly packed clothes that smelled of washing soda and starch.

      For a moment, she forgot her worries about Nellie and the strange boy. Tomorrow, she thought excitedly, we’ll be at sea!

      chapter 2

      All Aboard

      AT THREE O’CLOCK the next day, Samantha and Nellie were standing on the main deck of the R.M.S. Queen Caroline. As the wind whipped at their woolen coats, both girls looked out over the ship’s railing and waved their white handkerchiefs.

      “Good-bye!” they called toward the dock, where they could see Uncle Gard, Aunt Cornelia, Bridget, and Jenny waving to them.

      Nellie was smiling bravely, but Samantha could see tears sliding down her cheeks. “Bridget and Jenny will be fine while we’re gone,” Samantha reassured her. “Aunt Cornelia’s going to take them to the Wild West show, and Uncle Gard’s going to take them skating in Central Park. And Bridget can hardly wait to start her violin lessons.”

      “I know,” Nellie nodded, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. She looked down at the ship’s railing. “It’s just that…well, ever since Mam and Dad died, Bridget and Jenny and I have always been together. I’ll miss them.”

      I will, too, Samantha thought. As she reached for Nellie’s hand, she heard Grandmary say gently, “Would you like another handkerchief, Nellie? It can be hard to say good-bye to one’s family.”

      Samantha looked over and saw that Grandmary and Admiral Beemis were now standing beside Nellie at the ship’s railing. The dignified, white-haired couple had married more than a year ago, and since then they had spent much of their time traveling together. Last spring, the Admiral and Grandmary had taken Samantha to London with them. This year, they had invited both Samantha and Nellie to accompany them on their trip to England and France.

      Nellie had felt honored by the invitation, but she was not yet completely comfortable with her adopted grandparents. Once she had told Samantha, “Your grandmother is very nice, but she’s just the way I’d always imagined a queen would be. And I don’t know the Admiral very well, so it’s hard to think of him as my grandfather!”

      Now Nellie curtsied before she accepted the lace-trimmed handkerchief from Grandmary. “Thank you, ma’am,” she said formally. “And I would like to thank you and Admiral Beemis for inviting me on this trip.”

      “Come, come, Nellie,” the Admiral said heartily. “You are part of our family now and we’re glad you could join us. It should be a jolly trip. I, for one, am truly looking forward to visiting Paris again.”

      He turned to the girls’ new French tutor, Mademoiselle Nicole Étienne, who was standing just a few feet behind them. “And Mademoiselle, I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing your home again, aren’t you?”

      “Oui, Monsieur,” Mademoiselle Étienne told the Admiral. She was a small, slender young woman with large brown eyes and a hint of freckles sprinkled across her nose. “When I first came to this country as a tutor for the Larchmonts’ children, I never imagined that I would stay here for two years. I am very happy to return home.”

      While Mademoiselle Étienne spoke, her eyes were anxiously scanning the dock as if she was searching for something or someone. She doesn’t look happy, Samantha thought. She looks worried.

      The Admiral, however, took a deep breath of the salty cold air and sighed contentedly. “Ah, it’s good to be at sea again!” he announced. “And the Queen Caroline is as fine a ship as ever drew water. She may not have all the frills that modern ships do, but she’s as solid and seaworthy as the best of them.” He gestured at the towering masts above them, and Samantha saw the white sails tightly