‘But oh, Eleanor, what is to be done?’ sighed Lily.
‘Speak to papa, of course,’ said Eleanor. ‘He is gone to the castle, and in the meantime we had better take an exact account of everything here.’
‘And Esther? And Ada?’ inquired the sisters.
‘I think it will be better to speak to him before making so grave an accusation,’ said Eleanor.
They now commenced that wearisome occupation—a complete setting-to-rights; Eleanor counted, weighed, and measured, and extended her cares from the stores to every other household matter. Emily made her escape, and went to sit with Ada; but Lily and Jane toiled for several hours with Eleanor, till Lily was so heated and wearied that she was obliged to give up a walk to Broomhill, and spend another day without a talk with Alethea. However, she was so patient, ready, and good-humoured, that Eleanor was well pleased with her. She could hardly think of the slight vexation, when her mind was full of sorrow and shame on Esther’s account. It was she who, contrary to the advice of her elders, had insisted on bringing her into the house; she had allowed temptation to be set in her way, and had not taken sufficient pains to strengthen her principles; and how could she do otherwise than feel guilty of all Esther’s faults, and of those into which she had led Adeline?
On Mr. Mohun’s return Ada was interrogated. She pitied herself—said she did not think papa would be angry—prevaricated—and tried to coax away his inquiries, but all in vain; and at length, by slow degrees, the confession was drawn from her that she had been used to asking Esther for morsels of sweet things when she was sent to the storeroom; that afterwards she had seen her packing up some tea and sugar to take to her mother, and that Esther on that occasion, and several others, purchased her silence by giving her a share of pilfered sweetmeats. Telling her that he only spared her a very severe punishment for the present, on account of her illness, Mr. Mohun left her, and on his way downstairs met Phyllis.
‘Phyl,’ said he, ‘did Esther ever give you sweet things out of the storeroom?’
‘Once, papa, when she had been putting out some currant jam, she offered me what had been left in the spoon.’
‘Did you take it?’
‘No, papa, for Eleanor used to say it was a bad trick to lick out spoons.’