The lady lived but a very little way off, so that they were soon at her house. She was alone in her parlour, and was sorting a bundle of feathers of different colours. They lay on a sheet of pasteboard upon a window-seat, and it happened that as the sailor was bustling round the table to show off his shells, he knocked down the sheet of pasteboard, and scattered all the feathers. The lady looked very sorry, which Jem observing, he took the opportunity, whilst she was busy looking over the sailor's bag of shells, to gather together all the feathers, and sort them according to their different colours, as he had seen thorn sorted when he came first into the room.
"Where is the little boy you brought with you? I thought I saw him here just now."
"And here I am, ma'am," cried Jem, creeping from under the table with some few remaining feathers which he had picked from the carpet. "I thought," added he, pointing to the others, "I had better be doing something than standing idle, ma'am."
She smiled, and pleased with his activity and simplicity, began to ask him several questions; such as who he was, where he lived, and what employment he had, and how much a day he earned by gathering fossils.
"This is the first day I ever tried," said Jem. "I never sold any yet, and, if you don't buy 'em new, ma'am, I'm afraid nobody else will, for I have asked everybody else."
"Come then," said the lady, laughing, "if that is the case, I think I had better buy them all."
So emptying all the fossils out of his basket, she put half-a-crown into it. Jew's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Oh! Thank you, ma'am," said he; "I will be sure and bring you as many more to-morrow."
"Yes, but I don't promise you," said she, "to give half-a-crown to-morrow."
"But perhaps, though you don't promise it, you will."