Her head was stubbornly bent; and she had enough to do to keep back her tears. She would not have succeeded had his answer been different.
"No, I never stole any thing else. Stole is the proper word, I know; but it is a nasty one, and makes me ashamed."
"That is your punishment, Minnie," said Joshua, wondering at himself for his tenaciousness.
"That is my punishment, then," said Minnie not less doggedly than before; "but I did it for you"--nothing would drive her from that stand-point--"and I promise you, Joshua, that I will never steal any thing again--never, never!"
He gave her his hand, and she took it and caressed it.
"And now, Minnie, about Dan," he said. "You must not say or think any thing ill of him. He is the best-hearted and the dearest friend in the world; and I cannot tell you how much I love him, or how much he loves me."
"Why doesn't he go to sea with you, then?"
Joshua looked at her reproachfully.
"Your memory is not good, Minnie. He is lame, as I told you."
"I forgot. He can't go because he is lame. Would he go if his legs were sound?"