Page:The New-Year's Bargain (1884).djvu/76

 walked through the Forest. But so quiet was her coming, that her hand was on the latch before they knew it, and both of them jumped at the sound of her knock. As she came in, they saw that a lamb was trotting beside her, held by a band of young spring grasses, curiously woven together.

"This is my present," she said.

Judge if the children danced for joy. A lamb! a real lamb! all for their own! Never was any thing like it. They patted the pretty creature, and lavished caresses upon him, till finally the chicks woke up at the stir, peeped, called, and at last flew out of their baskets to see what was going on; and one of them fluttered up on to the lamb's back, where he sat like a yellow buttercup on a bank of snow. May gazed upon the scene with a calm smile.

"Now," she said at last, "if you're quite done, I'11 venture to remind you that my time's important. Business first, and pleasure after.