Mrs. Villars consented, and away Cecilia ran to proclaim the news to her companions; then first returning into the hall, she found the pedlar just unbuckling his box, and taking it off his shoulders.  “What would you be pleased to want, Miss?” said he.  “I’ve all kinds of tweezer-cases, rings, and lockets of all sorts,” continued he, opening all the glittering drawers successively.

“Oh!” said Cecilia, shutting the drawer of lockets which tempted her most, “these are not the things which I want; have you any china figures, any mandarins?”

“Alack-a-day, Miss, I had a great stock of that same china ware, but now I’m quite out of them kind of things; but I believe,” said he, rummaging in one of the deepest drawers, “I believe I have one left, and here it is.”

“Oh, that is the very thing! what’s its price?”

“Only three shillings, ma’am.”  Cecilia paid the money, and was just going to carry off the mandarin, when the pedlar took out of his great-coat pocket a neat mahogany case; it was about a foot long, and fastened at each end by two little clasps; it had besides a small lock in the middle.

“What is that?” said Cecilia, eagerly.

“It’s only a china figure, Miss, which I am going to carry to an elderly lady, who lives nigh at hand, and who is mighty fond of such things.”

“Could you let me look at it?”

“And welcome, Miss,” said he, and opened the case.

“O goodness! how beautiful!” exclaimed Cecilia.

It was a figure of Flora, crowned with roses, and carrying a basket of flowers in her hand.  Cecilia contemplated it with delight.  “How I should like to give this to Louisa,” said she to herself; and at last breaking silence, “Did you promise it to the old lady?”

“O no, Miss; I didn’t promise it—­she never saw it; and if so be that you’d like to take it, I’d make no more words about it.”

“And how much does it cost?”

“Why, Miss, as to that, I’ll let you have it for half-a-guinea.”

[Illustration]

Cecilia immediately produced the box in which she kept her treasure, and emptying it upon the table, she began to count the shillings; alas! there were but six shillings.  “How provoking!” said she; “then I can’t have it—­where’s the mandarin?  O I have it,” said she, taking it up, and looking at it with the utmost disgust.  “Is this the same that I had before?”

“Yes, Miss, the very same,” replied the pedlar, who, during this time, had been examining the little box out of which Cecilia had taken her money; it was of silver.

“Why, ma’am,” said he, “since you’ve taken such a fancy to the piece, if you’ve a mind to make up the remainder of the money, I will take this here little box, if you care to part with it.”

Now this box was a keepsake from Leonora to Cecilia.  “No,” said Cecilia hastily, blushing a little, and stretching out her hand to receive it.