door to say that Peter was in the
kitchen and asking for the young master.

'It's business,' said Godfrey with an air of great importance--Betty
always called any talk 'business' that Godfrey was not meant to hear.
'Please, Aunt Angel, let Penny stop here while Pete and I are talking
in the kitchen.'

Pete was standing by the back door, with a sprinkling of snow on his
hat and shoulders, and as Godfrey appeared he brought out from some
safe pocket various parcels very tightly tied up, which, when they were
undone, displayed a china cup with

'Remember me
When this you see'

on it in gold letters, two china lambs lying under a tree, and a
needle-book with a picture of Queen Charlotte outside. Godfrey was
lost in admiration. They were perfect, they were just the very things.
The lambs would stand on Aunt Betty's table and the cup would hold Aunt
Angel's tea, and the needle-book would suit Penny exactly. 'And was
there any more, Pete?' he asked. 'There couldn't have been, surely.'

Pete, for answer, produced another parcel from the depths of his
pocket, and exhibited a wooden wafer-box, painted bright red, and with
a picture of Mr. Pitt on the lid. Pete watched with the deepest
interest while Godfrey opened it.

'You see, Master Godfrey,' he said, 'I was a-thinking the gentleman
would be bound to do a deal of writing; and as you said he was partial
to newspapers, seemed to me Mr. Pitt would come kind o' natural to him
seeing they seem to be mostly about him; and the red colour looks sort
o' cheerful and might liven the gentleman up. Hoping it meets your
fancy, Master Godfrey.'

'I think it's beautiful,' said Godfrey earnestly; 'you are a very
clever person, Pete. Do you mean to say you got it all for that money?'

The smile on Pete's face broadened out, till it reached nearly from ear
to ear.

'Well, sir,' he said, 'fact is, for its size and being such a good
article, it was wonderful cheap, and there was some money out when I
paid for it. And you being so particular about my not bringing a penny
home, seemed to me I'd risk bringing this little thing here, in case it
might come in handy for what you were talking about.'

So saying, Pete brought out another parcel, and out of the paper came a
second box, coloured dark blue this time, and adorned with a picture of
a ship in full sail, surrounded by a wreath of convolvulus.

'You see, Master Godfrey,' explained Pete, 'it seemed to me, with you
say