s all mother's got in her penny purse,' he said, and he ran off
again before Lizzie had time to thank him.

"She was going to open the packet and see how much there was, but just
then one of the men who helped to put out the breakfast came past and
told her not to loiter about. So she took up her basket and ran away,
for people often spoke crossly to her, and she was easily frightened.
All the way home she kept thinking about her pennies and what she would
buy with them, but she didn't open the packet, because the way she had
to go there were so many rude boys about that she was afraid they might
snatch it from her. And when she got to the shop where she had to take
the basket to, the baker sent her another message, so it wasn't till
much later than usual that she got home. And all this time she had never
opened the packet, at least it said so in the story, though I think _I_
would have peeped at it before--wouldn't you, Cousin Magdalen?"

"I'm not sure," said Magdalen. "I think if one has something nice it is
sometimes rather tempting to keep it for a while without looking it all
over. It is something to look forward to."

"Yes," said Hoodie. "_I'd_ have keepened it for alvays wrapped up, and
then I could have alvays thought perhaps it was a fairy thing like."

"You silly girl," said Maudie, "you're always fancying about fairies."

"Maudie, _dear_" said Magdalen, "do try not to say things like that. You
are telling the story so nicely and we're all so happy. Please don't
spoil it by saying unkind little things."

"I didn't mean to be unkind," said Maudie penitently.

"P'ease do on with the story," said the little boys.

"Well, when at last she got home, she opened the little packet,"
continued Maudie, "and what _do_ you think she saw? Instead of two
pennies and a halfpenny perhaps, or something like that, there were--let
me see--yes, that was it--there were a gold pound, a half-a-crown, and a
shilling. Just fancy! Lizzie was so surprised that she didn't know what
she felt--she looked at them and looked at them, and turned them in her
hand, and then all at once it came into her mind that of course the lady
had given her them by mistake, and that she should take them back to
her. And she jumped up very quick and said to her grandmother there was
another message she had to go, and without thinking anything about
whether the lady would still be there or not, off she ran back again to
the place where the poor people