Part 6 (1/2)

”Rubbish,” said Maurice. ”A child that is going without sugar to get money instead, must be old enough to understand something about what money is.”

”But that was _my_ plan; it wasn't Carrots that thought of it at all,”

said Floss, who all this time had stood by, frightened and distressed, not knowing what to say.

”Hold your tongue, Floss,” said Maurice, roughly; and Floss subsided.

”Carrots,” he continued, turning to his brother, ”leave off crying this minute, and listen to me. Who put this piece of money into your paint-box?”

”I did my own self,” said Carrots.

”What for?”

”To keep it a secret for Floss,” sobbed Carrots.

Maurice turned triumphantly to nurse.

”There,” he said, ”you see! And,” he continued to Carrots again, ”you took it out of nurse's drawer--out of a little paper packet?”

”No,” said Carrots, ”I didn't. I didn't know it was nurse's.”

”You didn't know nurse had lost a half-sovereign!” exclaimed Mott, ”Carrots, how dare you say so?”

”Yes,” said Carrots, looking so puzzled, that for a moment or two he forgot to sob, ”I did know, Floss told me.”

”Then how _can_ you say you didn't know this was nurse's?” said Mott.

”Oh, I don't know--I didn't know--I can't under'tand,” cried Carrots, relapsing into fresh sobs.

”I wish your mamma were in, that I do,” said nurse, looking ready to cry too; by this time Floss's tears were flowing freely.

”She isn't in, so it's no good wis.h.i.+ng she were,” said Maurice; ”but papa is,” he went on importantly, ”and I'll just take Carrots to him and see what _he'll_ say to all this.”

”Oh, no, Master Mott, don't do that, I beg and pray of you,” said nurse, all but wringing her hands in entreaty. ”Your papa doesn't understand about the little ones; do wait till your mamma comes in.”

”No, indeed, nurse; it's a thing papa _should_ be told,” said Mott, in his innermost heart half inclined to yield, but working himself up to imagine he was acting very heroically. And notwithstanding nurse's distress, and Floss's tears, off he marched his unfortunate little brother to the study.

”Papa,” he said, knocking at the door, ”may I come in? There's something I must speak to you about immediately.”

”Come in, then,” was the reply. ”Well, and what's the matter now? Has Carrots hurt himself?” asked his father, naturally enough, for his red-haired little son looked pitiable in the extreme as he crept into the room after Maurice, frightened, bewildered, and, so far as his gentle disposition was capable of such a feeling, indignant also, all at once.

”No,” replied Maurice, pus.h.i.+ng Carrots forward, ”he's not hurt himself; it's worse than that. Papa,” he continued excitedly, ”you whipped me once, when I was a little fellow, for telling a story. I am very sorry to trouble you, but I think it's right you should know; I am afraid you will have to punish Carrots more severely than you punished me, for he's done worse than tell a story.” Maurice stopped to take breath, and looked at his father to see the effect of his words. Carrots had stopped crying to listen to what Maurice was saying, and there he stood, staring up with his large brown eyes, two or three tears still struggling down his cheeks, his face smeared and red and looking very miserable. Yet he did not seem to be in the least ashamed of himself, and this somehow provoked Mott and hardened him against him.

”What's he been doing?” said their father, looking at the two boys with more amus.e.m.e.nt than anxiety, and then glancing regretfully at the newspaper which he had been comfortably reading when Mott's knock came to the door.

”He's done much worse than tell a story,” repeated Maurice, ”though for that matter he's told two or three stories too. But, papa, you know about nurse losing a half-sovereign? Well, _Carrots_ had got it all the time; he took it out of nurse's purse, and hid it away in his paint-box, without telling anybody. He can't deny it, though he tried to.”

”Carrots,” said his father sternly, ”is this true?”

Carrots looked up in his father's face; that face, generally so kind and merry, was now all gloom and displeasure--why?--Carrots could not understand, and he was too frightened and miserable to collect his little wits together to try to do so. He just gave a sort of little tremble and began to cry again.

”Carrots,” repeated his father, ”is this true?”