"O Leonora! stop! don't praise me; I don't deserve this," said she,
turning to her loudly applauding companions; "you will soon despise
me--O Leonora, you will never forgive me!--I have deceived you--I have
sold----"

At this instant Mrs. Villars appeared--the crowd divided--she had heard
all that passed from her window.

"I applaud your generosity, Cecilia," said she, "but I am to tell you
that in this instance it is unsuccessful; you have it not in your power
to give the prize to Leonora--it is yours--I have another vote to give
you--you have forgotten Louisa."

"Louisa! but surely, ma'am, Louisa loves Leonora better than she does
me!"

"She commissioned me, however," said Mrs. Villars, "to give you a red
shell, and you will find it in this box."

Cecilia started, and turned as pale as death--it was the fatal box.

Mrs. Villars produced another box--she opened it--it contained the
Flora--"And Louisa also desired me," said she, "to return you this
Flora"--she put it into Cecilia's hand--Cecilia trembled so that she
could not hold it; Leonora caught it.

"O, madam! O, Leonora!" exclaimed Cecilia; "now I have no hope left. I
intended, I was just going to tell----"