Florence shrank from the thing.
“He had no right to carry it,” said Meg, closing it and dropping it into a chest. “It’s a concealed weapon, and they’re against the law. So I’ll keep it. Now what about this bag?” she asked suddenly.
“Why, you see,” smiled Florence, “to-morrow’s Christmas. Since I didn’t expect a surprise from anyone, I decided to buy myself one. So I went down to an auction sale and bought a bag with ‘contents if any.’ I meant to buy a bag anyway, and the ‘contents if any’ was to be my surprise.”
“What did you get?” Meg asked, leaning forward eagerly.
“I didn’t look. I meant to keep the bag until to-morrow. It wouldn’t be a Christmas surprise if I opened it before hand. And now it’s gone!”
“What—what did you expect to find?”
“It might have been anything—silk scarfs, some splendid furs, jewelry, a watch—anything. And then again,” her voice lost its enthusiasm, “it might have contained a man’s collar and a suit of pajamas. I couldn’t tell. Maybe it was just nothing at all. It was awful light.”
“All those things,” said Meg, her eyes shining, “or any of them. What a pity! What fun you would have had!”
For a moment she sat there in silence. Then suddenly, “Where’s it gone?”
“I—I lost it on the pier.”