She was not at home,
but her little niece, who lives with her, a child of four years old,
said that Aunt Mary would be in directly, and asked me to walk into
the parlour. I did so, and the little thing stood by my side
chattering away like a magpie. In reply to my questions as to
whether she liked to live with her aunt, what she amused herself
with, &c., &c., she entered into a long account of her various
playthings, and ended by saying that she would show me a beautiful
new doll which her good uncle had given her, if I would please to
unlock the door of a closet near where I was sitting, as she could
not turn the key.
"To please the child I unlocked the door. She threw it wide open,
and to my astonishment I saw that it was filled with valuable silver
plate, china, and other articles of similar kind, some of which I
particularly remembered having seen at Mrs. Dawson's."
"Perhaps she gave them to Mary," suggested Mrs. Freeman. "She was
quite attached to her."
"Impossible!" exclaimed Mrs. Morris. "Valuable silver plate is not
often given to servants. But I have not yet finished. Just as the
child had found the doll Mrs. White entered, and on seeing the
closet-door open, said sternly to the child,
"'Rosy, you did very wrong to open that door without my leave. I
shall not let you take your doll again for a week;' and looking very
red and confused, she hastily closed it, and turned the key.
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