"I should think that was about your age."
Having examined and folded up every article of clothing in the chest,
the tools, spy-glass, etcetera, were put by me on the shelves, and then
we examined the box containing the thread, needles, fish-hooks, and
other articles, such as buttons, etcetera.
"These are valuable," said she; "I have some of my own to put along with
them. Go and fetch my basket; I have not yet had time to look into it
since I left the ship."
"What is there in it?"
"Except brushes and combs, I can hardly say. When I travelled about, I
always carried my basket, containing those things most requisite for
daily use, and in the basket I put everything that I wished to preserve,
till I had an opportunity to put it away. When I embarked on board of
the whaler, I brought my basket on my arm as usual; but except opening
it for my brushes and combs or scissors, I have not examined it for
months."
"What are brushes and combs and scissors?"
"That I will show you," replied she, opening the lid of the basket.
"These are the brushes and combs for cleaning the hair, and these are
scissors. Now we will take everything out."
The basket did indeed appear to contain a wonderful quantity of things,
almost all new to me. There were two brushes, twelve combs, three pair
of scissors, a penknife, a little bottle of ink, some pens, a woman's
thimble, a piece of wax, a case of needles, thread and silk, a piece of
India ink, and a camel's hair brush, sealing-wax, sticking plaster, a
box of pills, some tape and bobbin, paper of pins, a magnifying-glass,
silver pencil-case, some money in a purse, black shoe-ribbon, and many
other articles which I have forgotten. All I know is, that I never was
so much interested ever after at any show as I was with the contents of
this basket, all of which were explained to me by my mother, as to their
uses, and how they were made. There were several little papers at the
bottom of the basket, which she said were seeds of plants, which she had
collected to take to England with her, and that we would plant them
here. As she shook the dust out of the basket after it was empty, two
or three white things tumbled out, which she asked me to pick up and
give to her.
"I don't know how they came here," said she, "but three of them are
orange-pips, which we will sow to-morrow, and the other is a pea, but of
what kind I know not; we will sow that also--but I fear it will not come
up, as it appears to me to be one of the peas served out to the sailors
on board ship, and will be too old to grow. We can but try. Now we
will put into the chest, with the other things that you have, what we do
not want for present use, and then I can drive a nail into the side of
my bedroom and hang my basket on it."
"But," said I, "this round glass--what is that for?"
"Put it on one side," replied she, "and to-morrow, if it is fine, I will
show you the use of it; but there are some things we have forgotten,
which are your belt and the other articles you gave me to take for you
when you thought we were to leave the island. They are in the bed-place
opposite to yours."
I brought them, and she put away the mate's watch and sleeve-buttons,
and the other trinkets, etcetera, saying that she would examine the
letters and papers at another time. The belt was examined, counting how
many of the squares had stones in them, and then, with her scissors, she
cut open one of the squares, and took out a white glittering thing like
glass, as it appeared to me, and looked at it carefully.
"I am no great judge of these things," said she, "but still I have
picked up some little knowledge. This belt, if it contain all stones
like this, must be of considerable value; now I must get out my needle
and thread and sew it up again." She did, and put the belt away with
the other articles in the chest. "And now," said she, "we have done a
good day's work, and it is time to have something to eat."