To-day Loveday ran off with her penny in her hand to buy some bull’s-eyes at Mrs. Tickell’s, but, as usual, she examined both the shop windows thoroughly first, that she might get some idea as to how best to lay out her money, and she was very glad she did, for in Mrs. Wall’s window there was quite a large assortment of new things; there were pink and white sugar mice, black liquorice babies with red lips and blue eyes, sugar bird-cages, and little cocoa-nut fish-cakes. They were all two a penny but the mice, and those were a farthing each.
Loveday felt, after gazing for some time, that she must have one of the dolls, and that she wanted two of the mice. So she pushed open the shop door and went in. A bell behind the door jangled loudly, so Loveday knew that Mrs. Wall was upstairs “cleaning,” and that Mr. Wall was absent, for the bell was always unhung and placed on the counter if they were at hand.
Loveday liked to find the shop empty—it gave her time to look about; but to-day, when she had looked about her for a few minutes, she remembered that Geoffrey and Priscilla were waiting for her, and would begin without her if she did not make haste, so she hammered sharply on the counter with her penny, to make Mrs. Wall hurry. Silence followed. She waited again what seemed to her a very long time, then knocked once more, this time even more loudly. Still silence.
During the next few minutes Loveday quite changed her mind as to what she would spend her money on. She suddenly remembered that Emily Tickell had told her she had some beautiful rose-drops coming in, and some honey-drops; and Loveday loved both. Besides which, the thought crossed her mind that it might not be easy to divide the two mice and the one doll. The mice were very hard to break, and she could not give the whole doll to one; it would not be fair. She wished then that she had not come to Mrs. Wall’s, and was just wondering if she could creep out of the shop again without being seen, when she heard a sound, and Mrs. Wall opened the little glass-topped door, and came up the two steps leading from the parlour to the shop. She looked rather crosser and sterner than usual.
“I had only just gone up to change,” she said sharply, “and as sure as ever I go, that bell is certain to ring. What can I do for you, miss?”
Loveday felt uncomfortable; her heart was quite set now on getting the rose-drops and the honey-drops, and not the doll or the mice, but what could she say or do! Then a way out of her difficulty suddenly opened out before her.
“Please, can you change a penny for me?” she asked very politely.
Mrs. Wall did not say anything, but her lips set a little more tightly than usual as she went to the till and took out two halfpennies.
“Thank you,” said Loveday, with a sigh of relief, and, hurrying out, she flew across the road to the Tickells’ shop, almost opposite. As she reached the door she glanced back for one more look at Mrs. Wall’s fascinating store, but all she saw was Mrs. Wall’s cold stern eye looking after her with anything but an amiable expression in it, and she turned with relief to Emily Tickell’s welcoming smile.
When at last she reached the orchard with her two precious packets in her hands, Geoffrey and Priscilla were busy arranging a bit of wood for a seat for the swing. They had not been swinging, they assured her, at least only just trying it to see if it was all right, and Loveday was satisfied and distributed her sweets.