The next day, as Nelly was standing by, the gate, watching her cow, which was pasturing on the common opposite, Mrs. Vandake came to her door and called her.
"Nelly, can you do an errand for me?"
"I guess so," replied Nelly, "if granny will mind the cow."
"I want you to go down town directly and put this letter in the post-office," continued Mrs. Vandake. "I am afraid to wait till Mr. Vandake comes home, lest I should be late for the mail; and I should not like to miss the chance of sending it. You can run right down to the general office, can't you? Ask your granny."
Mrs. Ryan made no objection, and Nelly was soon equipped in her granny's best shawl and her own ragged straw hat. Mrs. Vandake handed her the letter, and promised her a cake when she came back.
"What a pretty child!" said a lady who was visiting Mrs. Vandake. "But can you trust her? Won't she hide the letter, or throw it away to save herself trouble?"
"Oh, no," replied Mrs. Vandake. "She has often done errands for me, and always faithfully. With all their dirt and shiftlessness, both she and the old woman are strictly honest."
Nelly overheard this conversation as she stopped behind a lilac-bush to pull up her stocking; and it did her good. "There is one thing decent about us, anyway," said she.
She did her errand faithfully and quickly; but the letter once in the office, she thought there could be no harm in indulging in a little of her favourite amusement; and she began to loiter along the street, looking in at the shop-windows. The book and print store was her favourite stopping-place, but there was a great crowd of people around the door and window, looking at some new pictures; so she could not get near, and she went on to her second favourite place. This was a fancy-store,—a corner shop with a very large window, in which were elegantly arranged all sorts of pretty things,—embroidery, and patterns, and head-dresses, and wonderful buttons, and other things of which Nelly could not even guess the use. To-day the bottom of the window was one mass of beads,—marvellous beads, of all sorts, shapes and sizes,—green and blue, red and yellow, black and white: some as large as birds' eggs, others no bigger than mustard-seeds; some like silver and gold, some like dew-drops, some like sugar-candy. As the sun shone on the beads, they really formed a splendid mass of colour, which an older and more cultivated eye than Nelly's might have rested on with pleasure. The gauze curtain which hung at the back of the window was completely covered with worsted patterns,—flowers, birds, animals, and curious arabesques like nothing in particular.
Nelly stood a long time gazing at all these wonders, and then she passed through an open space into the shop behind. Here were more wonders and beauties still; but for once Nelly had no eye for them; for there, behind the counter, as if she were waiting to attend on the customers, stood the very young lady who had given Nelly the flowers! Here was a discovery! Nelly forgot all about the beads and patterns, all about the piece of cake waiting for her in Mrs. Vandake's pantry, and stood as if rooted to the spot, peeping through the vacant place in the window. Miss Powell was doing some work which looked very curious to Nelly. She had a little black thing in her hand, wound with white thread, which she poked through and through her fingers with marvellous quickness. A very pretty piece of something like lace hung down from her left hand. It did not seem to be hard work, for the lady looked about her, and sometimes talked with another young lady who sat on a stool winding worsted.