"So does Mrs. Powers; but I don't always, by a great deal," said Kitty, laughing. "I broke a notch out of one of those blue china plates they make such a fuss over, and I put it away at the bottom of the pile, with the notch towards the wall; and Mrs. Powers has not found it out yet."
"But Kitty, that don't seem right to me. It isn't honest."
"Pshaw! You are wonderfully particular, all at once. How long since you felt so?"
"I always felt so," said Nelly. "Granny always told me—"
"Oh, you are a great saint," interrupted Kitty. "Of course you never do any thing wrong. Saints never do; they are always right; and the people who have done for them and taught them all they know, and helped them on when they hadn't anybody else to care for them, are wicked sinners. That's always the way with saints. For my part, I hate hypocrites."
"So do I," said Nelly, "and I don't mean to be one, either; and so I intend to tell Mrs. Kirkland about the doll the very first minute she comes in. She will blame me, I know, but I can't help it; and it will cost me almost two weeks' wages; but I can't help that either. I must say, Kitty, I think you did wrong about the plate. Suppose Mrs. Powers finds the notch, as she is sure to do some time, and asks you about it: what will you do?"
"I sha'n't borrow trouble about that," said Kitty. "Something will turn up."
"You will have to tell the truth, or else tell a lie," pursued Nelly. "If you tell the truth, she will be a great deal more angry with you for trying to hide it, than if she had known it at first; and if you are tempted to tell a lie—oh, Kitty, just think if you should!"
"Oh, pshaw! What a fuss all about nothing!" said Kitty. "I dare say you can tell fibs when it suits your purpose. But I must go. Good-by, Nelly; I hope Mrs. Kirkland won't turn you out of the store for breaking the doll." And away Kitty ran, leaving Nelly to reflect upon her words.
Suppose she should lose her place. It was possible; Miss Lennox had been dismissed only the week before, for disobeying rules; and Mrs. Kirkland had declared then that she could not keep any girl who would not do as she was told. She did not see how she could have kept Kitty away from the shelves, except by main force; but then she might have told her before that she did not like to have people coming to see her. Suppose she should let Mrs. Kirkland think that the lady who had looked at the doll had injured it. It Was just possible, after all. Things were often injured in that way,—no one knew how. Only yesterday, a morocco shopping-bag had been found with the lock broken, and no one could tell who did it. Suppose she should just say nothing about it, but leave it to be found as the bag had been.