“Mary Louise!” she exclaimed. “Any news?”
“Lots of news,” replied the girl, seating herself in the chair beside the bed. “Do you feel equal to hearing it?”
“I certainly do. Have you found my money?”
“I want to tell you the story straight from the beginning. But before I do that, I want to assure you that Elsie is innocent. We found the real thief, and we also found Elsie. She ran away because she was unhappy.”
Miss Grant’s eyes sparkled with eagerness. “Never mind about Elsie now. Tell me who stole my money.”
“One of the gypsies,” replied Mary Louise. “I can give it to you if you’ll promise to donate some of it for Elsie’s support. Mrs. Grace Grant wants her to live with them, but you know how poor she is now.”
“All right, all right, I’ll give you fifty dollars if you get it all back for me! Where is it?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” Mary Louise couldn’t help enjoying teasing the miserly woman in retaliation for the way she had treated Elsie. “But it isn’t a case of giving fifty dollars now. It’s rather that you pay Mrs. Grant something—say twenty dollars a month—as your share towards Elsie’s support.”
Miss Grant groaned.
“For how long?” she demanded.