'
Mysie's tap came early to her mother's door the next morning, and it
was in the midst of her toilette that Lady Merrifield was called on to
hear the confession that had been weighing on the little girl's mind.
'I was too sleepy to tell you last night, mamma, but I did want to do
so.'
'Well, then, my dear, begin at the beginning, for I could not
understand your letter.'
'The beginning was, mamma, that we had just come in from our walk, and
we went out into the schoolroom balcony, because we could see round the
corner who was coming up the drive. And we began playing at camps,
with umbrellas up as tents. Ivinghoe, and Alberta, and I. Ivy was
general, and I was the sentry, with my umbrella shut up, and over my
shoulder. I was the only one who knew how to present arms. I heard
something coming, and called out, 'Who goes there?' and Alberta jumped
up in such a hurry that the points other tent--her umbrella, I mean--
scratched my face, and before I could recover arms, over went my
umbrella, perpendicular, straight smash through the glass of the
conservatory, and we heard it.'
'And what did you do? Of course you told!'
"Oh yes! I jumped up and said, 'I'll go and tell Lady Rotherwood.' I
knew I must before I got into a fright, and Ivinghoe said I couldn't
then, and he would speak to his mother and make it easy for me, and Ply
says he really meant it; but I thought then that's the way the bad ones
always get the others into concealments and lies.
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