“But that is not all, mother—it is certainly very valuable, as an illustration of indian customs.—I wish”——he added and paused.
“What do you wish, Ned?” asked his mother.
“Nothing, mama,” he replied, sighing, laying down the sack, and turning away; “I only wish I had not seen it.”
Julia was all this time looking at a very curious work-basket, which she thought a masterpiece. She turned it from side to side, examined the roses, carnations, jessamines, and violets, that had been wrought with such exquisite skill as to represent to the life the peerless flowers they were made to imitate; and for one moment she too wished that her five dollars was still at her own disposal. Mrs. Sackville read what was passing in the minds of her children. She took them aside: “My dear Ned and Julia,” she said, “I fear you may be regretting your hasty benevolence, when you devoted to a charitable purpose all the money your father gave you for such gratifications as are now offered to you; you did it from a sudden impulse of generosity: you have, I believe, as yet expended but a small portion of your money, and if you now prefer to appropriate it to the purchase of these very tempting articles, I will myself assume the expense of getting Mrs. Barton to Quebec.”
Edward and Julia looked at their mother, and at one another without replying a word. Mrs. Sackville returned to the table to make some selections for herself.
“What had we best do, Ned?” whispered Julia.
“Why do you ask me, Julia? you know as well as I. I should like to have something to show that I had been in Canada.”
“So should I excessively—but then”—
“But what, Julia? I am sure mama says it shall make no difference to Mrs. Barton.”
“No, that is true—it will make no difference to her; but it will make a great difference to us.”