“Veve, hush!” commanded Connie in a shocked voice.
Miss Gordon and the other Brownies were sorry Veve had spoken so carelessly. No one had intended to mention to Mr. Vincent what his sister had said about him.
The carpenter remained silent a moment. Then he replied:
“You have a right to know the true story of what occurred so many years ago. I’ll tell you my version, and then you may decide for yourselves whether or not I am a thief or an honest man.”
CHAPTER 19
“Flying Up”
LOWERING his voice so that others would not hear, Mr. Vincent related to the Brownies what had happened many years before.
“As a boy I lived in the city with my father and sister,” he began the story. “That was before either of us married. We did not have very much money in those days.
“For some reason my father did not entirely trust the banks. So he kept some of his savings in the house. To make the story short, five hundred dollars disappeared.”
“And you were accused?” interposed Connie.