CHAPTER IV.
THE RECOVERED TREASURE.
It was with a feeling of great uneasiness that Mabel awoke the nextmorning. She had not at all made up her mind what to do. She was, as Ihave shown, a very selfish girl, and not by any means of a gooddisposition; indeed, I should say, that no selfish person could be. Butshe was not in the habit of telling direct falsehoods, though she didnot scruple to prevaricate, if such a course suited her purpose; andthis practice is certainly not only near akin to falsehood, but leadsdirectly to it.
Nothing was said at breakfast-time to make any disturbance, and papawent out as usual; while Mabel and Julia, with minds still oppressed bythe loss on the preceding day, requested mamma to permit them to takethe children for a walk, before they began lessons.
'It is such a lovely morning,' said Mabel, 'and we can go towards thePark, the same way that we went yesterday.'
Of course the brooch was uppermost in Mabel's mind, and indeed inJulia's too, though nothing was then said.
'I am quite willing that you should all go, my dears,' said the kindmother; 'only remember, little Willie can't walk as fast and as far asyou can.'
'Et me tan, ma; me walk a long, long way wid pa, and me not tired abit,' said Willie, shaking his curly poll, and running off with Julia,who was his favourite, to get dressed.
'Susan, where's my gold brooch?' inquired Mrs. Ellis of the servant, whohappened to be in the bedroom dusting, when her mistress entered.
'I don't know, I'm sure, ma'am,' replied Susan. 'I saw it on thepincushion yesterday, before the young ladies went out; I have not seenit since. Perhaps Miss Mabel may be wearing it.'
'Nonsense, Susan!' said Mrs. Ellis; 'how could you think Miss Mabelwould do such a thing without my leave?'
'Well, ma'am,' answered the steady servant, 'I don't know whether yougave leave or not, but I know I have often seen the young lady with thebrooch in her necktie.'
Mrs. Ellis felt greatly displeased, not of course with Susan, but withher daughter; she thought it best, however, to make no further remark atpresent, but to wait until Mabel returned for an explanation of theaffair.
It is almost needless to say that the morning's walk had neither beenpleasant nor satisfactory to the two girls, for the treasure they wentout to seek had not been found, and they returned home sick at heart. Isay 'they,' because though poor Julia had not been really to blame, shesorrowed both on her mamma's and her sister's account; besides which,she had a dread of her papa's coming to the knowledge of the untowardevent.
'Mabel,' said Mrs. Ellis, as soon as that young lady came in, 'have youhad my brooch on to-day?'
'No, mamma,' was the immediate and the only response to the question,the words _to-day_ forming a loophole to creep out at, so as to avoidexplanation, though that was the very time to make one. Accordinglysearch was again commenced--as we know, without any result.
The midday dinner-hour passed away uncomfortably enough, except for thelittle folks, whose appetite did not seem to be in the least impairedby surrounding circumstances; and strange as it may appear, Mrs. Ellis,notwithstanding what the servant had told her respecting Mabel's wearingthe brooch, instead of closely questioning that young lady, permittedher to leave the room with the children, while she herself renewed thefruitless search. Tired out at last, she sat down in the dining-room, toawait the coming home of her husband in no very pleasurable state ofmind. Of course she must tell him of her loss; but she well knew howangry he would be, and what a commotion was likely to ensue. However,there was no help for it.
'Ada,' said Mr. Ellis to his wife, after he had enjoyed a comfortabledinner, and had taken his customary seat in the arm-chair, newspaper inhand, 'what has become of that valuable brooch that I gave you on yourbirthday? You used to wear it every day; why have you not got it onnow?'
The usually pale face of Mrs. Ellis flushed all over at this inquiry,but she answered truthfully--Mabel had certainly not learned to tellfalsehoods, either from her mamma or papa:
'I am very sorry to tell you, Arthur,' said Mrs. Ellis, 'that the broochis missing; I have searched in vain for it, and Susan does not knowanything about it.'
'Have you inquired of the girls, and the children?' said Mr. Ellis;'perhaps they may have seen it.'
'I did ask Mabel when she came in from her walk if she had had it on,'replied the lady,' and she said she had not.'
'Call Mabel and Julia down, and let me question them,' said papa;'perhaps I may learn more about the brooch than you think.'
'Oh, I'm sure it is no use, my dear,' replied Mrs. Ellis, dreading ascene, for she knew how severely her husband was inclined to visitfaults which she, poor lady, had not courage to grapple with. 'Betternot disturb yourself about the brooch to-night,' she added; 'we willhave another search for it to-morrow, and I am sure the girls knownothing about it.'
'_I_ am not sure of any such thing,' replied Mr. Ellis, 'and I insistupon Mabel and Julia being told to come to me.'
As there was no resisting her husband's authority, the girls weresummoned to their papa's presence; and though they knew not why it was,there was a conscious uneasiness in their minds which certainly did notlend wings to their feet.
'Come here, girls,' said their papa, though not in an unkindly tone, asthey entered the dining-room. 'I want to ask you a few questions. Mind,I must have truthful and straightforward answers--no prevarication.'
Mrs. Ellis looked at the two girls, and then at her husband, withastonishment, not having the least idea of what was coming; yet she feltvery uneasy.
'Mabel,' said Mr. Ellis, addressing his eldest daughter, 'you were outyesterday?'
'Yes, papa,' replied that young lady; 'Julia and I went for a walk withDora and Annie Maitland.'
'And where did you go?' was the next inquiry, and one very easilyanswered.
'To the Regent's Park, papa,' said Julia; 'but we were there only ashort time.'
'Now just one more question, and I have done,' said papa; 'did either ofyou girls lose anything while you were out?'
'Oh, papa, yes,' answered Julia instantly--'mamma's brooch. Oh, have youfound it, papa?' she exclaimed.
'Mamma's brooch!' said Mr. Ellis, with a look of assumed astonishment.'Why, which of you presumed to wear your mamma's brooch?' But he addedalmost immediately, 'I need not inquire further: I am sorry to say Ihave had some sad experience of deception in my eldest daughter, andhave observed in her that silly vanity, that makes outside show a coverfor inward defects. Go!' he added sternly to Mabel; 'I have nothingmore to say to you to-night. It nearly sickens me to think that I have adaughter base enough to conceal faults, which she is not afraid ofcommitting.'
With conscious shame and distress, Mabel quitted the dining-room; andJulia also was retreating, when her papa told her to remain, as he hadsomething to say to her.
Though Julia felt very sorry for her sister, and would have been glad tospeak a word of comfort to her, yet she was so anxious to hear from herpapa something about the lost brooch, that she was not at all reluctantto remain; so planting herself by her mother's side, she stood patientlyto listen to what further Mr. Ellis had to say.
'Did you know, Julia, that Mabel had on your mamma's brooch when youwent for a walk?' inquired papa.
Julia hung down her head, yet she answered truthfully;
'Yes, papa, I did know, for I begged her not to wear it.'
'And when she persisted in doing so, why did you not appeal to yourmamma?'
To this question there came no response, so Mr. Ellis continued:
'Let me warn you, my little girl,' he said kindly, 'never to connive atfaults in your brothers or sisters; it is to them a cruel kindness,which both they and you may live to be sorry for in after life.'
As Mr. Ellis said this, he drew from his waistcoat-pocket the glitteringtrinket, which had been the innocent cause of so much anxiety, andplacing it in his wife's hand, said:
'Now, my dear, I advise you to be more careful of your _jewels_, or youmay lose far more precious ones tha
n this brooch.'
As he made this remark he nodded to Julia, though Mrs. Ellis wellunderstood what her husband meant.
'Now, my little girl, you may go and join the children, while I tellmamma how I came by the brooch.'