o bring him into the hall.

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 Ceci