"Kind? Oh, yes, very kind," Neddy sneered, and then smiled blandly.
"You're a wicked little boy, you know, to steal letters."
Master Mellin dropped his cigarette and looked startled. "She told you?"
Claudia nodded. "Yes. She wants----"
"You needn't talk." Neddy waved his hand grandly. "I know. Aunt Laura wants to marry the nut you're sweet on. I twigged that ages ago. She didn't know how to manage to nab him, so I helped her."
"By giving her that letter?"
Neddy nodded in his turn. "I read it, you know miss," and he leered so significantly that Claudia looked upon him as the leading pupil in Mr. Fagin's evil Academy. "I'm rather sorry I did," went on Neddy, "as the nut belongs to you, but only in that way could I make the old gal help me."
"You unscrupulous little animal!" burst out Claudia, positively afraid of the lad's shrewdness. "You have made a lot of mischief."
"I could have made more, miss. 'Spose I'd given that letter to old Purse?"
Claudia shivered, and saw the necessity of propitiating him. "You didn't do that, I am glad to say."