Part 7 (1/2)

”Floss told me,” said Carrots.

”Then how can you pretend you didn't know this was nurse's--taking it out of her drawer, too,” said his father.

”I don't know. I didn't take it out of her drawer; it was 'aside Floss's doll,” said Carrots.

”He's trying to equivocate,” said his father. Then he turned to the child again, looking more determined than ever.

”Carrots,” he said, ”I must whip you for this. Do you know that I am ashamed to think you are my son? If you were a poor boy you might be put in prison for this.”

Carrots looked too bewildered to understand. ”In prison,” he repeated.

”Would the prison-man take me?”

”What does he mean?” said Captain Desart.

Floss, who had been waiting un.o.bserved in her corner all this time, thought this a good opportunity for coming forward.

”He means the policeman,” she said. ”Oh, papa,” she went on, running up to her little brother and throwing her arms round him, the tears streaming down her face, ”oh, papa, poor little Carrots! he _doesn't_ understand.”

”Where did _you_ come from?” said her father, gruffly but not unkindly, for Floss was rather a favourite of his. ”What do you mean about his not understanding? Did you know about this business, Floss?”

”Oh no, papa,” said Floss, her face flus.h.i.+ng; ”I'm too big not to understand.”

”Of course you are,” said Captain Desart; ”and Carrots is big enough, too, to understand the very plain rule that he is not to touch what does not belong to him. He was told, too, that nurse had lost a half-sovereign, and he might then have owned to having taken it and given it back, and then things would not have looked so bad. Take him up to my dressing-room, Maurice, and leave him there till I come.”

”May I go with him, papa?” said Floss very timidly.

”No,” said her father, ”you may not.”

So Mott led off poor weeping Carrots, and all the way upstairs he kept sobbing to himself, ”I never touched nurse's sovereigns. I never did. I didn't know she had any sovereigns.”

”Hold your tongue,” said Mott; ”what is the use of telling more stories about it?”

”I didn't tell stories. I said I hided the sixpenny my own self, but I never touched nurse's sovereigns; I never did.”

”I believe you're more than half an idiot,” said Mott, angry and yet sorry--angry with himself, too, somehow.

Floss, left alone with her father, ventured on another appeal.

”You won't whip Carrots till mamma comes in, will you, papa?” she said softly.

”Why not? Do you think I want her to help me to whip him?” said Captain Desart.

”Oh no--but--I think perhaps mamma would understand better how it was, for, oh papa, dear, Carrots _isn't_ a naughty boy; he never, never tells stories.”

”Well, we'll see,” replied her father; ”and in the meantime it will do him no harm to think things over by himself in my dressing-room for a little.”

”Oh, poor Carrots!” murmured Floss to herself; ”it'll be getting dark, and he's all alone. I _wish_ mamma would come in!”