“I cannot be surprised at this from you, Cecilia,” said Leonora; “and do you then still love me as you used to do?”

“O Leonora! stop! don’t praise me; I don’t deserve this,” said she, turning to her loudly applauding companions; “you will soon despise me—­O Leonora, you will never forgive me!—­I have deceived you—­I have sold——­”

At this instant Mrs. Villars appeared—­the crowd divided—­she had heard all that passed from her window.

“I applaud your generosity, Cecilia,” said she, “but I am to tell you that in this instance it is unsuccessful; you have it not in your power to give the prize to Leonora—­it is yours—­I have another vote to give you—­you have forgotten Louisa.”

“Louisa! but surely, ma’am, Louisa loves Leonora better than she does me!”

“She commissioned me, however,” said Mrs. Villars, “to give you a red shell, and you will find it in this box.”

Cecilia started, and turned as pale as death—­it was the fatal box.

Mrs. Villars produced another box—­she opened it—­it contained the Flora—­“And Louisa also desired me,” said she, “to return you this Flora”—­she put it into Cecilia’s hand—­Cecilia trembled so that she could not hold it; Leonora caught it.

“O, madam!  O, Leonora!” exclaimed Cecilia; “now I have no hope left.  I intended, I was just going to tell——­”

“Dear Cecilia,” said Leonora, “you need not tell it me; I know it already, and I forgive you with all my heart.”

“Yes, I can prove to you,” said Mrs. Villars, “that Leonora has forgiven you:  it is she who has given you the prize; it was she who persuaded Louisa to give you her vote.  I went to see her a little while ago, and perceiving, by her countenance, that something was the matter, I pressed her to tell me what it was.

“‘Why, madam,’ said she, ’Leonora has made me promise to give my shell to Cecilia.  Now I don’t love Cecilia half so well as I do Leonora; besides, I would not have Cecilia think I vote for her because she gave me a Flora.’  Whilst Louisa was speaking,” continued Mrs. Villars, “I saw the silver box lying on the bed; I took it up, and asked if it was not yours, and how she came by it.

“‘Indeed, madam,’ said Louisa, ’I could have been almost certain that it was Cecilia’s; but Leonora gave it me, and she said that she bought it of the pedlar this morning.  If any body else had told me so, I could not have believed them, because I remembered the box so well; but I can’t help believing Leonora.’

“‘But did you not ask Cecilia about it?’ said I.

“‘No, madam,’ replied Louisa, ‘for Leonora forbade me.’

“I guessed her reason.  ‘Well,’ said I, ’give me the box, and I will carry your shell in it to Cecilia.’

“‘Then, madam,’ said she, ’if I must give it her, pray do take the Flora, and return it to her first, that she may not think it is for that I do it.’”

“O, generous Leonora!” exclaimed Cecilia; “but indeed, Louisa, I cannot take your shell.”