And when Madam Liberality opened this letter she learned that her
cousin's will had been found, and that (as seems to be natural) he had
left his money where it would be associated with more money and kept
well together. His heir was a cousin also, but in the next degree--an
old bachelor, who was already wealthy; and he had left Madam
Liberality five pounds to buy a mourning ring.
It had been said that Madam Liberality was used to disappointment, but
some minutes passed before she quite realized the downfall of her
latest visions. Then the old sofa-cushions resumed their importance,
and she flattened the fire into a more economical shape, and set
vigorously to work to decorate the house with the Christmas
evergreens. She had just finished and gone up-stairs to wash her hands
when the church clock struck three.
It was an old house, and the window of the bedroom went down to the
floor, and had a deep window-seat. Madam Liberality sat down in it and
looked out. She expected some linsey-woolsey by the carrier, to make
Christmas petticoats, and she was glad to see the hooded waggon
ploughing its way through the snow. The goose-pond was firmly frozen,
and everything looked as it had looked years ago, except that the
carrier's young son went before the waggon and a young dog went before
him.
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