The girls had been so interested, Rose in drawing and explaining, and Anne in listening, that time passed very rapidly, and when Rose finished Mrs. Pierce opened the door of a queer little cupboard beside the chimney and took out a small square box.
“My! Is that a gold box!” exclaimed Anne admiringly, for the box shone and glittered in the light.
“If it was I wouldn’t keep it these days, when our poor soldiers need food and clothes,” replied Mrs. Pierce; “it is brass, one my grandfather brought from France.” As she spoke she lifted the cover and took out two little cases of brown leather, and handed one to Rose and the other to Anne. “Open the little clasps,” she said.
The girls obeyed, and as the little cases opened they exclaimed admiringly, for each case held a pair of scissors, a silver thimble, a tiny emery ball and a needle book.
“My uncle brought me those when I was about your age,” Mrs. Pierce said to Anne. “I never quite made out why he brought two until this very day, but I see now,” and she smiled happily at her little visitors. “I see now, because I can give one to each of you girls!”
After the girls had thanked her, and tried on the thimbles, and declared that the cases were almost too nice to use, Mrs. Pierce left them for a few moments.
“Rose,” exclaimed Anne, “wouldn’t it be splendid if Mrs. Pierce would let us make believe that she was our aunt?”
“Perhaps she will; she told me that she hadn’t any brothers or sisters, or anybody except her husband and two sons,” said Rose. “We might ask her if she would be willing for us, when we talk about her to each other, to call her ‘Aunt Anne Rose’!”
“If your father only gets Lady back we’ll be real glad the man took her; shan’t we, Rose?” said Anne thoughtfully.
“Because we found Aunt Anne Rose? Why, yes, I suppose we shall,” replied Rose. “But isn’t it funny she should have our names! You ask her, Anne, if she is willing for us to call her aunt.”