“Begin at the beginning,” snapped Miss Grant.
“All right. It was night before last, when Mother and I walked over to ask you for money for a dress. It means so much to me to look nice at the dance on Saturday night——”
“I don’t care what it means to you,” interrupted the spinster. “Go ahead with your story.”
“Well, I thought it was pretty stingy of you not to help me out, Aunt Mattie,” continued Corinne. “But I never thought of taking the money till I went up in your room.”
“How did you get the safe open?”
“That’s the queer part. It was open! I thought you had forgotten to close the door.”
Miss Grant gasped in horror.
“I never forget. Besides, I saw that the lock had been picked. Somebody did break it, if you didn’t, Corinne.”
“There wasn’t a bit of gold there, Aunt Mattie. I’m willing to swear to that!” Corinne looked straight into the old lady’s black eyes, and Mary Louise could see that her aunt believed her and was already trying to figure out who else was guilty.
“No, you didn’t have time to fiddle with a lock,” she agreed. “I can believe that.... I think I was right in the beginning: Elsie must have stolen the box of gold pieces.”