"I'm afraid I did very wrong to come against ma's will," she said
miserably, "but I COULDN'T wait. I wanted to see the picture as
soon as you did."

We waited and watched at the window. The valley was full of
mist, and the rain was coming down in slanting lines over the
tops of the spruces. But as we waited the clouds broke away and
the sun came out flashingly; the drops on the spruce boughs
glittered like diamonds.

"I don't believe Jerry can be coming," said Cecily in despair.
"I suppose his mother must have thought it was dreadful, after
all, to sell such a picture."

"There he is now!" cried Dan, waving excitedly from the window.

"He's carrying a fish-basket," said Felicity. "You surely don't
suppose he would bring THAT picture in a fish-basket!"

Jerry HAD brought it in a fish-basket, as appeared when he
mounted the granary stairs shortly afterwards. It was folded up
in a newspaper packet on top of the dried herring with which the
basket was filled. We paid him his money, but we would not open
the packet until he had gone.

"Cecily," said Felicity in a hushed tone. "You are the best of
us all. YOU open the parcel."

"Oh, I'm no gooder than the rest of you," breathed Cecily, "but
I'll open it if you like."