"Well!" said Cecilia, eagerly, "who begins?"
Caroline, one of her friends, came forward first, and then all the others successively.
Cecilia's emotion was hardly conceivable.—"Now they are all in. Count them, Caroline!"
"One, two, three, four; the numbers are both equal." There was a dead silence.
"No, they are not," exclaimed Cecilia, pressing forward and putting a shell into the vase—"I have not given mine, and I give it to Leonora." Then snatching the bracelet, "It is yours, Leonora," said she; "take it, and give me back your friendship."
The whole assembly gave a universal clap and shout of applause.
"I cannot be surprised at this from you, Cecilia," said Leonora; "and do you then still love me as you used to do?"
"O Leonora! Stop! Don't praise me; I don't deserve this," said she, turning to her loudly applauding companions; "you will soon despise me—O Leonora, you will never forgive me!—I have deceived you—I have sold—"
At this instant Mrs. Villars appeared—the crowd divided—she had heard all that passed from her window.
"I applaud your generosity, Cecilia," said she, "but I am to tell you that in this instance it is unsuccessful; you have it not in your power to give the prize to Leonora—it is yours—I have another vote to give you—you have forgotten Louisa."