“For a moment it was the old man’s, and then it got younger. For a moment it was both the children’s, and then it got older. For a moment it was a strange face, and then it was all the faces.”

“And then it was gone?”

“Yes; and then it was gone.”

“Where were you then, old lady?”

“Here, at the chest. Well; I got the better of it, and went on sorting, and went on singing to myself. ‘Lor!’ I says, ‘I’ll think of something else⁠—something comfortable⁠—and put it out of my head.’ So I thought of the new house and Miss Bella Wilfer, and was thinking at a great rate with that sheet there in my hand, when all of a sudden, the faces seemed to be hidden in among the folds of it and I let it drop.”

As it still lay on the floor where it had fallen, Mr. Boffin picked it up and laid it on the chest.