As she was sitting in the window in the morning, exerting herself to
entertain Louisa, she heard the voice of an old pedlar who often used to
come to the house. Down stairs she ran immediately to ask Mrs. Villars's
permission to 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.