"Yes, Papa," she said timidly. Then bursting into tears, she rushed to her mother's arms for refuge and comfort.
"Tell us all about it, my child; what did you go for?"
"To see if there was not a present for me," she sobbed.
"But Milly told you she had searched the box."
"Bessie said perhaps it had got among the paper, and you had not seen it."
"Well, when you found it was not there, what did you do to the hat?"
"Kicked it," she murmured very low.
"Nothing else?"
"No, I did not even look at it."
"You must have done something more, Lucy," said her father. "How else could it be in this state?" And he held out Milly's unfortunate hat.