The school-room ruler whizzed through the air, and, without touching Ambrose, crashed through the window behind him.
“Girls can’t even throw straight!” he exclaimed exultingly, jumping down from the window-seat.
With a very sober face Nancy advanced to examine the mischief. The ruler had broken one pane of glass, and cracked two others right across.
“There, you see!” said Ambrose tauntingly, “you’ve done it again. You’re always smashing things.”
It was quite true. Nancy had a most unfortunate faculty for breaking glass, china, and any other fragile thing she came near. She looked sadly at the window.
“It’ll be at least two weeks’ pocket-money, Nancy,” said Pennie, drawing near.
“I don’t so much mind about that,” said poor Nancy dejectedly; “but I do so hate telling mother I’ve broken something else. I did mean not to break anything while she was away this time.”
“Mother’s never really angry when we tell her,” said Pennie, trying to give comfort.
“I wish someone else had broken something, or done something wrong,” continued Nancy. “It’s so horrid to be the only one.”
Ambrose became suddenly grave. What was a broken window compared with his and David’s disobedience in the matter of Rumborough Common? Each day the possession of that little crock with its gold pieces weighed upon his mind more heavily. They had not even dared to place it openly in the museum, but after hiding it for a while in the tool-house, had agreed to bury it in the garden as the only secure place. It might just as well, therefore, have remained in the Roman Camp; and with all his heart Ambrose wished it could be transported there again, for he had not known one happy minute since its discovery. It haunted him in lesson and play-hours, and visited him in feverish dreams at night; but, most of all, it spoilt his enjoyment of the garden. He got into a way of hovering round the spot where it was buried, and keeping a watchful eye on all Andrew’s movements, for he felt that he might some day be seized by a whim to dig just there, and bring the dreadful thing to light. The only person he could talk to on the subject was David, but there was little comfort in that, for the conversation was sure to end in a quarrel. David had been excited and pleased at first; but now that the treasure was buried away, quite out of his sight, his interest in it became fainter and fainter.