Meanwhile Miss Wilcocks and Agnes Hosking had returned to Helmsford College, and, ten minutes subsequently, the latter, looking much perturbed, sought Miss Orchardson, and, having found her in her private sitting-room, informed her that she had left her purse at Dr. Reed's.
"How very careless of you!" exclaimed Miss Orchardson. "Is there much money in it?"
"One pound, seven shillings, and five pence half-penny," Agnes responded glibly; "it is a very expensive purse, one my grandmother gave me," she hastened to add.
"Then you should have taken better care of it," Miss Orchardson observed, with some severity.
"Yes," Agnes agreed; "please, may I go back and fetch it?"
"Certainly not. Where did you leave it?"
"On Ann Reed's bed," was the unhesitating reply.
"On Ann Reed's bed! How came you to leave it there?"
"I was afraid of having my pocket picked, so I put my purse into my muff when I went upstairs for my outdoor things, and the muff was on the bed. When I took up my muff I forgot about my purse, and I suppose it slipped out."
"You suppose? It may not have done so. You very probably lost it in the street."