"My goodness!" she exclaimed, "what a terrible face, beautiful too in
its way."
Hardly had the words left her lips when for some reason unexplained that
probably had to do with the shifting of the centre of gravity, Little
Bonsa appeared to glide or fall out of her box with a startling
suddenness, and project herself straight at Barbara, who, with a faint
scream, fearing lest the precious thing should be injured, caught it in
her arms and for a moment hugged it to her breast.
"Saved!" she exclaimed, recovering herself and placing it on the table,
whereon Jeekie, to their astonishment, began to execute a kind of war
dance.
"Oh! yes," he said, "saved, very much saved. All saved, most magnificent
omen. Lady kneel to Little Bonsa and Little Bonsa nip out of box, make
bow and jump in lady's arms. That splendid, first-class luck, for miss
and everybody. When Little Bonsa do that need fear nothing no more. All
come right as rain."
"Nonsense," said Barbara, laughing. Then from a cautious distance she
continued her examination of the fetish.
"See," said Jeekie, pointing to the misshapen little gold legs which
were yet so designed that it could be stood up upon them, "when anyone
wear Little Bonsa, tie her on head behind by these legs; look, here same
old leather string.
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