Tibbie, left alone, looked at the half-open door a minute, then turned away from it: all was so interesting, anyhow, she could wait with grace. With the palm of her hand, which she frequently stopped to smell, she stroked the fine linen pillows on the bed, and the white bear rugs on the floor, and the curtains: everything felt so soft. She examined the features of the Rev. Dorel Goodhue with approbation, proposing to ask Sally whether she knew him. The bark came nearer and nearer; when the door opened, in tumbled a small silky ball of black dog, who almost turned himself inside out in his delight at being in human company again. He ran floppily about and about the floor, in his conscious, cringing, graceful way, waving his tail round and round, tossing back his long silk ears to bark and bark. At last the girls between them had him caught. He was squeezed tight in Tibbie's arms, where he wriggled and twitched, covering her cheeks and ears with rapid dog-kisses, interspersed still with rapturous barks. "Oh, oh!" cried Tibbie, trying vainly to hold him still long enough to get a good kiss at him. "Isn't he soft? Isn't he sweet? And he has a yellow ribbon. Oh, do keep quiet, doggie dear--you tickle!" "I don't think we will bother any more about seeing the hundred," said Sally, a feigned coldness in her tone, and stood aloof watching child and dog. "I had forgotten, honest, Sally." "Put him down and come on, then." "Mayn't I hold him and come too?" "No; for when you see 'em, you'll drop him so quick you'll like as not break his legs." "All right. Down, Jetty! Down, sir! Come along, Jetty; come right along, dear!" "Wait a minute. I'll go in first and turn up the light. When I sing out, you come on." She went ahead, and Jetty precipitated himself at her heels. Tibbie stooped with anxious inducing noises, and "Come back, sir! Come back!" "Ready!" shouted Sally. Tibbie made a bound for the door, but at a step's distance was overcome by a curious timidity, and instead of bolting in, pulled the door towards her tremulously, and pushed aside the lace hanging with a cold hand. There lay the hundred, all on a couch under the gas-light, arranged as in a show-window, propped by means of silk cushions so as to form a solid sloping bank--the hundred beautiful dolls. "Well, ma'am?" asked Sally, expectantly. Tibbie said nothing, but looked at them vaguely, full of constraint. "Well, I never!" said Sally. "Don't you like 'em? What on earth did you expect, child? Well, I never! Well, if it don't beat all! Why, when I was a young one--Why, Tibbie girl--don't you think they are _lovely_?" "Yes," she whispered, moving her head slowly up and down, then letting it hang. "Aw, come out of that," said Sally, understanding. "Come, let's look at 'em one by one, taking all our time. Come to Sally, darling, and don't feel bad. We'll have lots of fun." She took the not unwilling Tibbie by the hand, and led her nearer the banked splendor.