“No, I’m not; you would never, never do the wicked thing I did. But I’m afraid papa thinks I’m better, ’cause when—when he thought the baby was going to die, he was hugging me up and kissing me, and he said ‘You never gave me a pang except by your feeble health,’ and I said I didn’t ever want to, and I forgot all about how bad I’d been that time, and that papa didn’t know about it.”
“What is it that papa didn’t know about, my darling?” asked a voice close beside the sofa, and both little girls started in surprise, for their father had come in so quietly, his slippered feet making no noise on the carpet, that they had not been aware of his entrance.
He took Grace in his arms as he spoke, sat down with her on his knee, drew Lulu to a seat by his side, then kissed them both, saying in tender tones, “Good-morning, my two dear children.”
“Good-morning, my dear papa,” responded Lulu, leaning her cheek affectionately against his shoulder.
But Gracie only hid her face on his breast with a little half-stifled sob.
“What is it, my precious one?” he asked, holding her close with loving caresses.
“Lu, you tell papa; please do,” she sobbed.
“Lulu may tell it, if you want papa to hear it,” he said, softly smoothing her hair, “otherwise it need not be told at all. But if it is about some wrong-doing that has been repented of and confessed to God and mamma, you need not dread to have your father know of it, for he, too, has been guilty of wrong-doing many times in his life, and needs to seek forgiveness of God every day and every hour.”
“Papa,” she exclaimed, lifting her head to give him a look of astonishment not unmingled with relief, “I don’t know how to b’lieve that, if you didn’t say it your own self; for I never, never see you do any thing wrong. But I want you to know ’bout this, so you won’t think I’m a better girl than I am. Lu, please tell,” and again her face was hidden on his breast.
“Papa, it was a long, long, while ago,” began Lulu, as if eager to vindicate her sister as far as possible, “and it was only that she accidentally broke a bottle of Mamma Vi’s, and then she was frightened (you know she’s always so timid, and can’t help it), and so,’most before she knew what she was saying, she told Mamma Vi she never meddled with her things when she was not there to see her.”