Part 4 (1/2)
”I'll tell Floss,” said Carrots, disappearing again down the path, and in another moment Floss and he ran back to nurse.
Though they had been very quick, nurse seemed to think they had been slow. She even scolded Floss a very little as if she had been kept waiting by her and Carrots, when she was in a hurry to go, and both Floss and Carrots felt that this was very hard when the fact was that they had been waiting for nurse till they were both tired and cold.
”It wasn't Floss's fault. Floss wanted _you_ to come quick, and she sended me to see,” said Carrots indignantly.
”Hold your tongue, Master Carrots,” said nurse sharply.
Carrots' face got very red, he gave nurse one reproachful look, but did not speak. He took Floss's hand and pulled her on in front. But Floss would not go; she drew her hand away.
”No, Carrots, dear,” she said in a low voice, ”it wouldn't be kind to leave nurse all alone when she is sorry about something.”
”Is she sorry about something?” said Carrots.
”Yes,” replied Floss, ”I am sure she is. You run on for a minute. I want to speak to nurse.”
Carrots ran on and Floss stayed behind.
”Nurse,” she said softly, slipping her hand through nurse's arm, which, by stretching up on tip-toe, she was just able to do, ”nurse, dear, what's the matter?”
”Nothing much, Miss Flossie,” replied nurse, patting the kind little hand, ”nothing much, but I'm growing an old woman and easy put out--and such a stupid like thing for me to have done!”
”What have you done? What is stupid?” inquired Floss, growing curious as well as sympathising.
”I have lost a half-sovereign--a ten-s.h.i.+lling piece in gold, Miss Flossie,” replied nurse.
”Out of your pocket--dropped it, do you mean?” said Floss.
”Oh no--I had it in my purse--at least I thought I had,” said nurse. ”It was a half-sovereign of your mamma's that she gave me to pay Mrs. White with for Master Jack's things and part of last week that was left over, and I wrapped it up with a s.h.i.+lling and a sixpence--it came to eleven and six, altogether--in a piece of paper, and put it in my drawer in the nursery, and before I came out I put the packet in my purse. And when I opened it at Mrs. White's no half-sovereign was there! Only the s.h.i.+lling and the sixpence!”
”You didn't drop it at Mrs. White's, did you? Should we go back and look?” said Floss, standing still, as if ready to run off that moment.
”No, no, my dear. It's not at Mrs. White's. She and I searched all over, and she's as honest a body as could be,” replied nurse. ”No, there's just the chance of its being in the drawer at home. I feel all in a fever till I get there to look. But don't you say anything about it, Miss Flossie; it's my own fault, and no one must be troubled about it but myself.”
”Poor nursie,” said Floss, ”I'm so sorry. But you're sure to find it in your drawer. Let's go home very fast. Carrots,” she called out to the little figure obediently trotting on in front, ”Carrots, come and walk with nursie and me now. Nurse isn't vexed.”
Carrots turned back, looking up wistfully in nurse's face.
”Poor darlings,” said the old woman to herself, ”such a shame of me to have spoilt their walk!”
And all the way home, ”to make up,” she was even kinder than usual.
But her hopes of finding the lost piece of money were disappointed. She searched all through the drawer in vain; there was no half-sovereign to be seen. Suddenly it struck her that Carrots had been busy ”tidying” for Floss that morning.
”Master Carrots, my dear,” she said, ”when you were busy at Miss Floss's drawer to-day, you didn't open mine, did you, and touch anything in it?”
”Oh, no,” said Carrots, at once, ”I'm quite, quite _sure_ I didn't, nursie.”
”You're sure you didn't touch nurse's purse, or a little tiny packet of white paper, in her drawer?” inquired Floss, with an instinct that the circ.u.mstantial details might possibly recall some forgotten remembrance to his mind.
”_Quite_ sure,” said Carrots, looking straight up in their faces with a thoughtful, but not uncertain expression in his brown eyes.