The Stokesley Secret Part 25

"Henry, come here. Did you accuse your sister to David?"

"No!" burst out Henry at once; but there was a rounding of everyone's mouth to cry out Oh! and he quickly added, in a hasty scared way, "At least, when Davie came bothering me, I said he had better ask Betty, because she had been prying about, and meddling with the baby-house.

I never meant that she had done it; but Davie is such a little jack- a.s.s!"

"Did you see her meddle with the baby-house!"

"She said that herself," muttered Henry.

"Yes, Papa," said Elizabeth, starting forward, "I did find the doors of the baby-house open, and shut them up, but I never touched anything in it! Sam and Susie know I would not, and that I would not tell a story now, though I once did, you know, Papa!"

Captain Merrifield still kept his grave set face, and only asked, "When did you find the doors open?"

"On Friday, Papa--Friday week--St. Barnabas' Day--just after dinner."

"Was no one with you?"

"No, Papa."

"You came up-stairs first?"

"Yes; I wanted my pencil before--" and she stopped short.

"Before what?"

"Before Miss Fosbrook went in to speak to Hal," said Elizabeth, getting red all over.

"Hal had been dining in the school-room," said Miss Fosbrook, "on account of a little bit of disobedience."

Captain Merrifield looked keenly at Henry, who tried to return the look, but shuffled uncomfortably under it.

"Then Hal had been dining in the school-room? Was he there when you came in?"

"No."

"Were the doors open when you were dining there, Henry?"

"N--no."

"You are sure that you did not meddle with them?"

"I do not know why I should," said Henry, hastily and confusedly.

"It is only the girls and the babies that have things there--and--and Miss Fosbrook herself had been at the cupboard in the morning; why shouldn't she have left it undone herself, and the doors got open?"

"No, no!" cried Susan; "if they aren't fastened they always burst open directly; and we never could have been in the room half the morning without noticing them!"

"Then you are certain that they were closed when you went down to dinner?"

Everyone was positive that the great gla.s.s doors flying out must have made themselves observed in that room full of children, especially as Susan remembered that she had been making a desk of the sloping part under them.

"Does anyone remember how long it was between Hal's leaving the room and Bessie's coming up?"

"I don't know when he went out," said all those who had been in the dining-room; but there spoke up a voice, quite proud of having something to tell among the others--"I saw Hal go out, and Bessie come up directly."

"You, Johnnie! How was that?"

"Miss Fosbrook made me dine in the nursery, Papa, because Hal and I had been riding on the new iron gate, to see if the telegraph would come in while the others were at church; and then Hal ran away with the Grevilles, and I couldn't get down till Sam came and helped me; and so Miss Fosbrook made me dine in the nursery; and when I had done, I went and sat upon the top of the garret stairs, to watch when they came out from dinner, and ask if I might come down again."

"And what did you see, Johnnie?"

"First, I saw a wasp," said Johnnie.

"Never mind the wasp. Did you see when Henry went out?"

"I saw him come in first," said John, "and Miss Fosbrook order him up and say she would send him his dinner, and come and speak to him presently. So I watched to catch her when she was coming up to him, and I saw Mary bring him up some mince veal, and the last bit of the gooseberry pie; and then, very soon, he bolted right downstairs. I didn't think he could have had time to eat the pie; and I was going to see if there was a bit left, when I saw Bessie coming up, and I whipped up again."

"Then n.o.body went into the room between Henry and Bessie?"

"No; there wasn't any time."

The whole room was quite silent. There was no sound but a quick short breathing from the Captain: but he had rested his brow upon his hand, and his face could not be seen. It was as if something terrible had flashed upon him, and he was struggling with the first shock, and striving to deal with it. If they had seen him in a tempest, with his ship driving to pieces on a rock, he would not have been thus shaken and dismayed. However, by the time he looked up again, he had brought his face back to its resolute firmness, and he spoke in a clear, stern, startling voice, that made all the children quake, and some catch hold of each other's hands: "Henry! tell me what you have done with your theft!"

Miserable Henry! He did not try to deny it any longer; but burst out into a loud sobbing cry, "O Papa! Papa! I meant to have put it back again! I couldn't help it!"

"Tell me what you have done with it!" repeated the Captain.

"I--I paid it to Farmer Grice; I was obliged; and I thought I could have put it back again; and some of it was my own!"

"Fivepence-farthing!" cried David. "You thief, you!"

The child's fists were clenched, and his young face all one scowl of pa.s.sion, quite shocking to see. His father put him aside, and said, "Hush, David! no names.--Now, Henry, what do you say to your sister for your false accusation, which has thrown your own shame on her?"

"Oh, no, no, Papa; he never did accuse me!" cried Bessie, for the first time bursting into tears. "He never said I did it; that was only Davie's fancy; and it has made Susie and Sam so kind, I have not minded it at all. Please don't mind that, Papa!"

"Come away, Henry!" said the Captain; "now that your sister has been cleared, we had better have the rest out of the sight of these tender-hearted little girls."

He stood up, and without a word, stroked down Elizabeth's smooth brown hair, raised her face up by the chin, and kissed her forehead, the only place free from tears; then he took Henry by the shoulder, and marched him out of the room. Bessie could not stop herself from crying, and was afraid of letting Uncle John see her; so she flew out after them, and straight up-stairs to her own room. Miss Fosbrook and Susan both longed to follow her, but they had missed this opportunity; and the sound of voices outside showed so plainly that the Captain and Henry were in the hall that they durst not open the door.

Everyone was appalled, and nothing was said for a few seconds. The first to speak was Annie, in a low, terror-stricken whisper, yet with some curiosity in it: "I wonder what Papa will do to him?"

"Give him nine dozen, I hope!" answered David through his small white teeth, all clenched together with rage.

"For shame, Davie!" said Susan; "you should not wish anything so dreadful for your brother."

"He has been so wicked! I wish it! I WILL wish it!" said David.

"Hush, David!" said Miss Fosbrook; "such things must not be said. I will talk to you by and by."

"I am glad poor Bessie is cleared!" added Susan; "though I always knew she could not have done it."