Grizzy’s brain was now all on fire.  On the one hand there was the glory of presenting the brooch to such a polite, charitable, charming woman; on the other, there was the fear of Nicky’s indignation.  But then it was quite thrown away upon Nicky—­she had no cabinet, and Mrs. Fox had declared that pebbles were quite lost anywhere but in cabinets, and it was a thousand pities that Nicky’s brooch should be lost.  All these thoughts Grizzy revolved with her usual clearness, as she unclasped the brooch, and gave it into the hand of the collector.

“Bless me, my dear Miss Douglas, this is really a very fine stone!  I had no conception of it when I saw it sticking in your throat.  It looks quite a different thing in the hand; it is a species I am really not acquainted with.  I have nothing at all similar to it in my poor collection.  Pray, can you tell me the name of it, and where it is found, that I may at least endeavour to procure a piece of it.”

“I’m sure I wish to goodness my sister Nicky was here—­I’m certain she would—­though, to be sure, she has a great regard for it; for it was found on the Glenfern estate the very day my grandfather won his plea against Drimsydie; and we always called it the lucky stone from that.”

“The lucky stone! what a delightful name!  I shall never think myself in luck till I can procure a piece of your lucky stone.  I protest, I could almost go to Scotland on purpose.  Oh, you dear lucky stone!” kissing it with rapture.

“I’m sure—­I’m almost certain—­indeed, I’m convinced, if my sister Nicky was here, she would be delighted to offer—­ It would certainly be doing my sister Nicky the greatest favour, since you think it would be seen to so much greater advantage in your cabinet, which, for my own part, I have not the least doubt of, as certainly my sister Nicky very seldom wears it for fear of losing it, and it would be a thousand pities if it was lost; and, to be sure, it will be much safer locked up—­nobody can dispute that—­so I am sure it’s by far the best thing my sister Nicky can do—­for certainly a pebble brooch is quite lost as a brooch.”

“My dear Miss Douglas!  I am really quite ashamed!  This is a perfect robbery, I protest!  But I must insist upon your accepting some little token of my regard for Miss Nicky in return.”  Going to her charity-table, and returning with a set of painted thread-papers, “I must request the favour of you to present these to Miss Nicky, with my kind regards, and assure her I shall consider her lucky stone as the most precious jewel in my possession.”

The whole of this scene had been performed with such rapidity that poor Grizzy was not prepared for the sudden metamorphose of Nicky’s pebble brooch into a set of painted thread-papers, and some vague alarms began to float through her brain.

Mary now advanced, quite unconscious of what had been going on; and having whispered her aunt to take leave, they departed.  They returned in silence.  Grizzy was so occupied in examining her pincushions and counting her buttons, that she never looked up till the carriage stopped in Milsom Street.