“Does mamma know? Tell me that, Mell, and I’ll not say another word,” ventured Persis.
Mellicent shook her head.
“Then it isn’t all right. You know perfectly well, Melly, that a thing is not right if we cannot tell mamma about it. You know we never, never promise to do anything without saying that mamma must know.”
Mellicent was looking very miserable. “Oh, Perse,” she said, her eyes filling with tears, “it isn’t all gone; it’s just loaned. I couldn’t help it; indeed I couldn’t. He was in such a trouble.”
“Who are you talking about, Mell? Tell me,” said Persis. “Was it Porter?”
“Oh, dear,” began Mellicent, breaking down, “I didn’t mean to say that. Oh, what have I done? I’ll be despised for not keeping it to myself.”
“Goodness, child! You have kept it to yourself. I’m firmly convinced that Porter is at the bottom of it, and that is what has been bothering Basil. Never mind, Mell, he’s a mean-spirited little wretch. Don’t worry about it. If you’ve only been loaning money the only harm is in not telling mamma.”
“That isn’t all; and if I’m not found out it will be all right,” wailed Mellicent. “I wish I had minded mamma.”
“Then it isn’t all right,” returned Persis, clearly and decidedly. “It is not the getting found out that makes a thing wrong; it’s the doing something that you’re afraid to tell about.”
Many years before, when these two were scarcely more than babies, a similar experience had taken place, which Mrs. Holmes had recounted to her mother as showing the difference between the characters of Persis and Mellicent. A large and handsome doll had been sent to the little Mellicent, who had viewed it with tenderness and admiration, begging to take the beautiful Geraldine out on the street to walk. But mamma said, “No, you will be very likely to break her, dear.” At last, however, the temptation was too great, and as Persis was waiting at the gate for her little sister, she saw her appear with Geraldine in her arms. In her haste to reach the gate, Mellicent’s uncertain feet tripped and down she went, breaking poor Geraldine’s head beyond repair.