for her treasures. Her best cameo brooch was in there, too, and a
lock of hair of Comfort's baby brother who died.

One of Comfort's chiefest delights was looking at her gold ring and
gold dollar. When she was very good her mother would unlock the
rosewood box and let her see them. She had never worn the ring--it
was much too large for her. Aunt Comfort and her mother had each
thought that it was foolish to buy a gold ring that she could
outgrow. "If it was a chameleon ring I wouldn't care," said Aunt
Comfort; "but it does seem a pity when it's a real gold ring." So
the ring was bought a little too large for Comfort's mother. She was
a very small woman, and Comfort was a large baby, and, moreover,
favored her father's family, who were all well grown, and Aunt
Comfort feared she might have larger fingers.

"Why, I've seen girls eight years old with fingers a good deal bigger
than yours, Emily," she said. "Suppose Comfort shouldn't be able to
get that ring on her finger after she's eight years old, what a pity
'twould be, when it's real gold, too!"

But when Comfort was eight years old she was very small for her age,
and she could actually crowd two of her fingers--the little one and
the third--into the ring. She begged her mother to let her wear it
so, but she would not. "No," said she, "I sha'n't let you make
yourself a laughing-stock by wearing a ring any such way as that.
Besides, you couldn't use your fingers. You've got to wait till your
hand grows to it."

So poor little Comfort waited, but she had a discouraged feeling
sometimes that her hand never would grow to it. "Suppose I shouldn't