"I'm afraid that you'll not think me very good when you hear all my story," said Miriam.
"Not another case of quarrelling, I hope!" cried Hamil.
"Well, you shall know all, and judge for yourself," said Miriam.
And she and her brother arose from their seat and recommenced walking, as they went on with their conversation.
"Caroline and I had just finished our dinner," continued Miriam, "when mistress's bell rang, and Caroline went up to answer it. She was away for some time, hunting in every nook and corner, as I heard afterwards, for a silver paper knife which mistress had missed from the drawing-room table. I knew nothing, of course, to what she was about, and was quietly washing up the dishes, when down came Caroline to the kitchen, looking as red as your uniform, and, to my great surprise, who should come with her but mistress. Mrs. Mellor looked grave and uneasy, and told me of the loss of the paper cutter, keeping her eyes fixed on my face as she spoke.
"'I have not been in the drawing-room, ma'am, since I helped to clean it in the morning,' said I, 'but I remember that the silver knife was then all right in its place.'
"Mistress seemed more uneasy than before, and then said, glancing first at Caroline, then at me, that my fellow-servant thought—fancied that she had seen that paper knife in my box when I had chanced to open it in the forenoon, while we were up in the attic together."
"I say!" exclaimed Hamil, indignantly. "Did you tell her that you would as soon have swallowed the knife as have stolen it?"
"Not exactly—though I said something like it—and I demanded that the box should be instantly brought down, and thoroughly searched."
"Right, perfectly right!" cried Hamil Macbean.