"Dear me!" said Herbert, grinning and coughing behind his thin hand. "What did the old girl say when she found it out?"
"She never suspected me," said Roy. "She couldn't think I would do such a thing. And I—I lied about it. When she discovered the money was gone and became distressed over its loss, I lied."
"You would have been a fool if you'd owned up."
"I was a fool to touch a cent of that money, in the first place. I was a fool to listen to your blarney, Rackliff. Just because I was idiot enough to believe in you, I made myself a thief and a liar. Oh, I've been punished for it, all right. Never knew I had a conscience that could make me squirm so much. Some nights I slept mighty mean."
"Paugh! You make me laugh. It wasn't anything to take a few paltry dollars like that. You're mother'll never know."
"She knows now."
"What?"
"I told her."
"You did?"
"Sure."