“There’s Benson’s,” Roberta interrupted, “and it’s open.  Why, look at the people in front of the windows!  Look at the windows themselves.  There must be a new firm.  Poor Hugh!”

“There’s a new sign over the old one; a ‘Successors to,’ I think; but Benson’s name is on it, ‘Benson & Company,’” announced Ruth, straining her eyes to make it out.

“Somebody must have come to the rescue,” said Uncle Rufus with joyous interest.  “Well, well; the thing has been kept surprisingly still, and I can’t think who it can be, but I’m certainly glad.  I hated to see the boy fail.  I suppose you all want to go in?”

They unquestionably did, but they wanted first to sit still and look at the windows from their vantage point above the passers-by on foot, who were all stopping as they came along.  It was small wonder that they should stop.  The town of Eastman had never in its experience seen within its borders window displays like these.

Benson’s possessed the advantage of having larger fronts of clear plate-glass than any store in town.  As it was a corner store, there were not only two big windows on the front but one equally large upon the side.  Each of these showed an artful arrangement of fresh and alluring white goods, and in the centre of each was a special scheme arranged with figures and furnishings to form a charming tableau.  In one was the sewing-room scene, adapted from that one which had first challenged Richard’s interest in his grandfather’s store; in a second a children’s tea-party drew many admiring comments from the crowd; and in the side window the figure of a pretty bride with veil and orange blossoms suggested that the surrounding draperies were fit for uses such as hers.  The clever adaptability of Carson’s art showed in the fact that the figure wore no longer the costly French robe with which she had been draped when she stood in a glass case at Kendrick & Company’s, but a delicate frock of simpler materials, such as any village girl might afford, yet so cunningly fashioned that a princess might have worn it as well, and not have been ashamed.

Aunt Ruth and her nieces went enthusiastically in, and Uncle Rufus, declaring that he must go also and congratulate Hugh on this extraordinary transformation, tied his horses across the street where they could not interfere with the view of passing sleighs.

Entering, the visitors found inside the same atmosphere of successful, timely display of fresh and attractive goods as had been promised by the outside.  The store did not look like a village store at all; its whole air was metropolitan.  The smallest counter carried out this effect; on every hand were goods selected with rare skill, and this description held good of the cheaper articles as well as of those more expensive.

“Well, Hugh, we don’t understand, but we are very glad,” said Aunt Ruth heartily, shaking hands with the young man who advanced to meet them.