“That’s right,” agreed Judy.
Maybe she had agreed too quickly. Her answer seemed to disturb the little girl.
“Sometimes,” Penny said, “when you’re little, you make mistakes. That’s different, isn’t it?”
“Quite different,” agreed Judy, wondering what all this was leading up to.
“Why?” Penny asked unexpectedly.
“Well, I suppose it’s because you can learn from your mistakes.”
“What mistake was Penny talking about?” asked Paul.
He had been exploring the grove with Honey, who had discovered the hollow tree and pointed out the hole that looked like an open mouth.
“I don’t really know,” Judy confessed. “Your little sister didn’t make herself very clear.”
“She hadn’t better,” Paul said threateningly. “I’ll never tell her any of my secrets after this. What made you spill all that about Mom’s pocketbook, Penny? Those kids said they’d trail the thieves and make them give it back.”