She did not say who and I did not ask. Finally she opened the door of a small room adjoining the kitchen in which Granny Meehan still sat solitary.
The room into which Winifred led me was a model of neatness. The curtain upon the window, the cover upon the small bureau were of snowy-white; and the counterpane upon the bed was blue-and-white patchwork--a piece of art in its way.
"Granny did it all herself before she got blind," Winifred explained. "It was for my mother; but my mother never came here, and so I got it."
She handed me a chair as she spoke,--a high-backed, stiff wooden one, evidently of rustic manufacture; and, mounting upon another chair, she reached to the top of a rude wardrobe, or press, which stood in the corner. Thence she brought down a deal box, which she placed carefully on the floor, seating herself on a low stool beside it.
"I'll give you three guesses what is in there," she said, looking up at me with her bright smile.
"Your three guesses remind me of Portia's three caskets," I answered.
Winifred shook her head slowly. Evidently her knowledge did not extend to Shakespeare.
"Portia's caskets sound pretty," she remarked; "but I don't know what they are."
"I must tell you that pretty story some time. Her suitors were so many that she declared that only he who chose the right casket should win her. Each suitor had to guess. The first of those caskets was gold--"
"Oh, you knew before!" interrupted the girl.
"I don't understand how you could have guessed so quickly."
"But I have guessed nothing," I said. "I only mentioned that the first casket was of gold."
"Oh, I thought you meant to tell me in that way that you knew what was in my box!" Winifred explained.
I stared and she suddenly withdrew the cover. My eyes were almost dazzled.
"There is gold in my box,--real pure gold," said the young girl.
And gold there was, amazing both in quality and quantity.
Winifred saw my astonishment, with innocent triumph.
"Look at that!" she said, detaching from the mass of shining metal a crown, which she held up for my inspection. While I looked she drew forth several other articles, all of peculiar make but of dainty and delicate design, some more richly wrought than others. There were collars, brooches, rings, bracelets,--thin bracelets, such as were worn in the olden days by kings and warriors.