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<b><em>The blue sapphire is the gem which the Ancients called the hyacinthus and which Solinus described as ‘a gem that feels the influence of the air and sympathises with the heavens and does not shine equally if the sky be cloudy or bright...’</b></em> <br> <br>On a beautiful spring day Julia Harburn sat on a seat in Kensington Gardens enjoying the sunshine. She was wearing a white frock and a large straw hat with a sapphire-blue ribbon which exactly matched her eyes—a strange coincidence, as it turned out, for the blue sapphire was to have a far-reaching influence upon her life. <br> <br>So far, her life had been somewhat dull and circumscribed; but quite suddenly her horizons were enlarged; she began to make new friends—and enemies—and she began to discover new strength and purpose in her own nature. The development of her character led her into strange adventures, some amusing, others full of sorrow and distress... <br> <br><b>D. E. Stevenson</b> was born in Edinburgh, the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of civil engineers who designed many Scottish lighthouses. Her father was a first cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson. She was educated privately and travelled widely in France and Italy with her parents. She married a major in the Highland Light Infantry and moved with the regiment from place to place gaining valuable experience of life and people. Her first really successful novel, <em>Mrs Tim</em>, was published in 1933.
