"Good morning, Elsie," he replied, but his tone was so cold that even if no one else had been by, she could not have said another word.
He had not intended to be influenced by the information Arthur had so maliciously given him the night before; yet unconsciously he was, and his manner to his little daughter was many degrees colder than it had been for some time.
After breakfast Lucy reminded Elsie of a promise she had made to show her some beautiful shells which her father had collected in his travels, and Elsie led the way to the cabinet, a small room opening into the library, and filled with curiosities.
They had gone in alone, but were soon followed by Arthur, Walter and
Enna.
Almost everything in the room belonged to Mr. Horace Dinsmore; and Elsie, knowing that many of the articles were rare and costly, and that he was very careful of them, begged Enna and the boys to go out, lest they should accidentally do some mischief.
"I won't," replied Arthur. "I've just as good a right to be here as you."
As he spoke he gave her a push, which almost knocked her over, and in catching at a table to save herself from falling, she threw down a beautiful vase of rare old china, which Mr. Dinsmore prized very highly. It fell with a loud crash, and lay scattered in fragments at their feet.
"There, see what you've done!" exclaimed Arthur, as the little group stood aghast at the mischief.
It happened that Mr. Dinsmore was just then in the library, and the noise soon brought him upon the scene of action.
"Who did this?" he asked, in a wrathful tone, looking from one to the other.