Jewel of the girl (short story)

Jewel of the girl 

  An ultra-modern lady belonging to tlie upper class one day visited a newly-opened shop in the commercial centre of city. She came out of her Cadillac car and went in the jewellery shop. Earlier she had placed a telephonic order for an identical pair of diamond sets. She was an old customer and had already bought one or two costly ornaments from the shop. 
Naturally the firm treated her with great respect. The manager very respectfully accosted her to a private room. When she came in the shop, she saw only one set of diamond in the show case, but she had desired for a twin set. 
The Manager told her respectfully that the second set is all but reary if she could wait a little. She said that she had an appointment, therefore, she would collect the other set in the evening. She bought one set, paid the bill and got the cash memo of it. In the evening, the lady came again. 
The Manager took her to the private room and handed over the second set to her, adding that the cash memo was enclosed alongwith the diamond-set. The lady put it in her spacious hand bag and started moving towards the door without making any payment at all. 
The Manager attributed it to her absent- mindedness. He politely threw a hint or two to her, but she ignored him completely. At last when she was almost out of the shop, he shouted at her. The aristocratic lady took it as insult and insisted that she had paid for the set. The Manager was taken aback at this high­handedn. Nobody could believe that such a well-dressed and apparently wealthy lady could commit a robbery in the broad-sun light. She threatened the Manager with dire consequences and asked for the police. The Manager also wanted the same thing.
 So the police arrived and a case was registered. Eventually it came up before the court for hearing. The investigations proved that the lady was innocent and that she had bought only one set of diamonds. 
The number of the notes the lady claimed to have paid also tallied with the numbers of the notes found in Manager’s safe. The Bank also confirmed that it was the habit of the lady to note down the numbers of the notes whenever the amount withdrawn was large. The case was decided against the Manager. The firm had to pay the damages and the Manager was dismissed.
 He also lost his security deposited with the firm. The Manager is still a bachelor . Sometimes he thinks that the lady might have-been suffering from amnesia due to which this unpleasant incident occurred. The manager was a simple fellow. He did not know that the people belonging to the upper class impress others by their show of wealth and dress. 
They deceive others by their show of snobbery . The poor fellow did not know that there people also suffer from the same ills as die poor. Therefore he thought Uiat the lady might have acted in a fit of forgetfulness. Moreover, die lady was their old customer. She had already purchased one or two costly ornaments from the shop. The dealings of the lady were always fair and honest.
 She belonged to the elite of the town and moved in large, expensive cars. It was unthinkable that she could act so meanly. But the fact was that she had not intentionally paid for the second set. She wanted to leane the shop hurriedly under the pretext of honouring an appointment. 
The manager could not see through all this, nor anybody else took pains to detect the fraud of the lady Jewel of a girl is an appropriate title for the short story. The young lady has been ironically and sarcastically called Jewel of a girl’. She is very cunning and clever, but from appearances she looks respectable. By looking at her outward position, fashionable dress and Cadillac car nobody can get the least suspicion that she would commit such a big fraud. She has planned everything carefully. 
Before the day the incident occurred she withdraws a large amount from her band and gets the notes signed. She has already given a very good impression to the manager of the shop about her and about her dignified behavior. She knows that nobody will suspect her of fraud. Even the court acquits her, because^nothing is proved against her. So much so that the manager even after losing his job, thinks that she was not a cheat.
 The title is quite significant and the story suggests a lot. No effort is made to trace the first set, bought by the lady, nor has it been mentioned in the court proceedings. Perhaps the writer wants the readers to fill up the gaps themselves. At the end we can only sympathise with die manager. By giving this title, the writer has hinted at the dark aspect of the upper middle class and the modern man . 
High morality is of no significance to them. He wants to convey that the real jewel of a girl is her character. It was easy for the woman to execute the fraud It was easy for the lady to execute the fraud because she was a wealthy and fashionable lady, she drove in the large, expensive Cadillac car. She was clever and cunning. She was very wise and intelligent. Her mind was very imaginative. It was due to her cleverness that she won confidence of the manager, before committing this fraud. 
She had already purchased one or two ornaments and the management respected her for her patronage. She appears to be a professional cheat and a swindler. The writer is a keen observer of this type of society. He has studied the manners and habits of such people very minutely . 
This lady also tries to impress others by her show, dress and fashion. Actually, she is shallow from inside. She lacks integrity and honesty . Luckily, she got the time on the day of the incident to show this hollowness. 
The shopkeeper had only one set of diamonds ready. He promised to give the other set after some time. The lady posed as if she were awfully busy . she bought the first set, went home and left the set there. The same day she turned up again at 5 p.m. oid got the second set. 
But she wanted to leave the shop hurriedly, without, making the payment. The manager at first reminded her politely, then became straightforward. The lady took it as her insult and acted u a strange and assuming way. 
The manager and the people all around were all surprised. The police arrived. The case was registered, but her points were strong. It was proved that she was innocent. She not only got le other set, but was also paid the damages.