"Rosy," said Bee very earnestly, "I did not take it another time. I have never seen it since that afternoon when Fixie had had it and I put it back. Rosy, don't you believe me?"
Rosy gave herself an impatient shake.
"I don't know," she said. "You might have forgotten. Anyway it was you that had it last, and I wish I'd never given you leave to have it; I'm sure it wouldn't have been lost."
Bee turned away and burst into tears.
"I will write to mamma and ask her to take me away," she said.
Again Rosy looked startled.
"If you do that," she said, "it will be very unkind to my mamma. Yours will think we have all been unkind to you, and then she'll write letters to my mamma that will vex her very much. And I'm sure mamma's never been unkind to you. I don't mind if you say I'm unkind; perhaps I am, because I'm very vexed about my necklace. I shall get naughty now it's lost—I know I shall," and so saying, Rosy ran off.
Bee left off crying. It was true what Rosy had said. It would make Mrs. Vincent unhappy and cause great trouble if she asked her mother to take her away. A new and braver spirit woke in the little girl.
"I won't be unhappy any more," she resolved. "I know I didn't touch the necklace, and so I needn't be unhappy. And then I needn't write anything to trouble mother, for if I get happy again it will be all right."
Her eyes were still rather red, but her face was brighter than it had been for some time when she came into the drawing-room, ready dressed for her walk.