“How good you are!” she said. “But you won’t believe me, Honor: nobody would; and then you will go, and I shall be all alone in the world!”
“Nonsense!” said Honor decidedly. “I shall believe you! Go ahead!”
Brokenly, in a voice shaken by sobs, with bursts of bitter weeping, Maria told her piteous story; how she had seen and admired the ring on Patricia’s finger; a curious little ring, a circle of gold wire with a tiny golden mouse running loose on it. She wanted to see how it went; Patricia hated her so, she could not ask. Then—one day—Patricia’s door was open, and Maria knew she was in the garden.
“Honor, I didn’t mean any harm! I swear to you I didn’t mean any harm. I went in, and the ring was on the pincushion, and I tried it on, and—and—just then Sophie came in, and I didn’t want her to see me with it, and I slipped it into my pocket, meaning to put it back when she had gone out—oh, dear! oh, dear! how could I?” The wailing sobs broke out again.
“Quiet! quiet!” Honor was stroking her forehead with a firm soft hand. “There! there! Go on! You meant to put it back; of course you did. And then—”
“The bell rang for class, and Sophie was still there, sweeping, you know—and I had to go. It was dictée, and you know that takes all there is of me, and then I can’t do it decently! Honor, could any one believe I could forget it—the ring, I mean? I did! oh, truly, truly I did! And out in the garden at recess—I pulled out my handkerchief, and—and—”
“And out it came!” Honor finished for her. “Of course I believe every word, Maria. Of course any one would who had any sense. Didn’t you tell Patricia? Didn’t you tell them all, that moment?”
“I couldn’t!” Maria’s voice fell into an agonized whisper. “I couldn’t, Honor! Patricia looked at me—oh, pray to God that no one will ever look so at you as long as you live!” cried the poor girl. “And she said—”
“What did she say? Quiet, my dear! quiet! words never killed anybody!”
“She said, ‘Tiens! are there two mouse-rings in the Pension? Or perhaps only one?’ Then she picked it up and went away, and I saw her telling the other girls. None of them has spoken to me since then!”