With some trouble he dragged up an ancient-looking, thick, silver, bull's-eye watch.

He looked at it for a moment,--hesitated, -- touched the inner corner of his right eye with the pulp of his middle finger,--looked at the face of the watch,--said it was getting into the forenoon,--then opened the watch and handed me the loose outside case without a word .-- The watch-paper had been pink once, and had a faint tinge still, as if all its tender life had not yet quite faded out.

Two little birds, a flower, and, in small school-girl letters, a date,--17.

.-- no matter .-- Before I was thirteen years old,--said the old gentleman .-- I don't know what was in that young schoolmistress's head, nor why she should have done it; but she took out the watch-paper and put it softly to her lips, as if she were kissing the poor thing that made it so long ago.
The old gentleman took the watch-paper carefully from her, replaced it, turned away and walked out, holding the watch in his hand.

I saw him pass the window a moment after with that foolish white hat on his head; he couldn't have been thinking what he was about when he put it on.