In this way she fell over the cricket.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Miss Parrott, pulling her head out of the cupboard,
"did you hurt yourself, child?"
"No'm," said Rachel, getting up with a very red face, and exceedingly
ashamed. "I don't believe I broke it." She set the cricket up in its proper
position and anxiously examined it all over.
"Oh, no," said Miss Parrott reassuringly, "the cricket is not harmed. See
here, Rachel"--she held in her hand a long string of little irregular
things that dangled as she turned toward her--"I am going to put these on
your neck. Now stand still, child." And suiting the action to the words,
something snapped with a little click under Rachel's chin.
Rachel looked down quickly at the queer little odd-shaped red things,
hanging over her breast.
"I used to wear them when I was a little girl, very much smaller than you,"
said Miss Parrott, her head on one side and falling back to see the effect.
"What are they?" asked Rachel, not daring to lay a finger on them, and
holding her breath at the idea of being within the magnificent circle of
Miss Parrott's early adornments.
"Red coral beads," said Miss Parrott, smiling at the nice contrast between
the necklace and the dark little face above. "Now, child, you are going to
wear them whenever you come to visit me and as long as you stay. And that
means they will not come off till to-morrow, for you are to sleep here
to-night.
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