But when Tom sat up, looking dazed, and Mr. and Mrs. Whitwell came into the room with white faces, Sissie Hancourt was lying quietly in the little bed, with her eyes closed as peacefully as if nothing had happened.
Margaret lifted her out and wrapped her in a shawl. “I am afraid you are a very, very naughty little girl,” she said; “and I am sure you must be scolded; indeed, I think you must be punished as well.”
“I only wanted to look at the nest,” she said, “and I holded tight nearly all the while. Geoff says there are some young ones in the nest.”
“But you might have fallen down and killed yourself.”
“Well, I don’t want you to scold me. I love my Auntie Tom the best.”
Tom tried to take her, but she was feeling so weak and giddy that she could not hold her.
“I think,” said Mrs. Whitwell, “that we shall have to whip you, Sissie. See how white Auntie Tom looks because you frightened her so much.”
“Don’t be frightened, Auntie Tom; I won’t hurt you.”
“You had better take her in hand,” said Mrs. Whitwell to her husband. It was not the first time that she had passed a refractory and difficult child over to the same management.
“Go downstairs, all of you,” he said, “and leave Tom and me to deal with her.” When they had left he sat with the child on his knee, and in grave tones began to talk to her. “You do not want to be naughty, dear child, but you will make us all very unhappy if you do such things as that. You are only a little girl, but I am sure you know what is right and wrong, and that getting out of a bedroom window is very wrong indeed. If you want to see a nest, I will try to find one for you in a hedge to-morrow; but you must not go and do what you like in this way without saying a word to anybody. What would your father say if his little girl were to fall from a window and be killed, and he should never see you any more? And what would your mother do if there were no longer any little Sissie? I shall be afraid to keep you in my house unless you promise me to be good. When you are put to bed you must lie still, and go to sleep, as other little girls do, because, you know, you say your prayers, and ask God to bless you; but how can you expect Him to do it if you are so naughty? He looks at you all the time, and takes notice of what you do; so you must always try to be good and obedient. And you will in future, won’t you, Sissie? Say you will; now promise me, there’s a dear little girl.”