He did not reply, and she went on:
“But we found that she had been taking that which did not belong to her, and, of course, mamma could not longer trust the girls under her influence.”
The artful girl’s tone and manner expressed the deepest regret, but he was not deceived by it, although her statement of Brownie’s dishonesty confounded him.
“Impossible!” he ejaculated, with a pained, startled look, and his mind went back to that moment when her pure face lay one moment upon his bosom, and when she had lifted her clear eyes, which were like shining pools of purest water, so trustingly to his, and now he was told that she was a thief!
“It does not seem possible, I admit,” Isabel hastened to say, fearing she had been unwise, and not liking the way he had received her information. “Mamma and I were infinitely shocked when we discovered it, but the proof was too incontestable, even without her evident guilt, for us to doubt.”
“Was she—did she confess her—fault?” he stammered.
“Oh, no! such persons never do that, you know; they always put on any amount of airs, and make a great show of innocence. But, then, we had the proof right in our own hands.”
“Would you mind telling me what she has done—what proof you have of her guilt? Perhaps there may be some misunderstanding to which I could suggest an explanation,” he said, inwardly writhing with pain at her words.
“Excuse me; but that would not be right, and I fear that I have been very unwise to speak of it at all. The girl is gone, and I have no wish to injure her; I only hope she may repent of her folly, and try to do better in the future. Please forget what I have said, Mr. Dredmond, and do not remember it against her if you should ever meet her again. I assure you it is a very painful topic to me.”
After a few moments more spent in general conversation Adrian arose to go.