Then we explained to her what Maud meant. Even then she could scarcely believe Anne had really done such a thing.
'It would have been so much better to wait till your mamma came in,' she said. 'Alfred could have been sent with a note in a minute.'
'Anne didn't want mother to know about it. At least, I said to her it would be a pity to raise mother's hopes, and it was all nicely settled that Flossy Barry was to find out and ask her mother to write if it seemed possible it was our diamond thing,' I said. 'It is all Anne's impatience, and you see, nurse, she knew she shouldn't have gone alone with Serry, or she wouldn't have crept out that way without telling any one.'
'I don't know how they can have gone to those people's house,' said Hebe. 'I'm not even sure of the name, though I heard it, and I've a better memory than Anne. I only know it's in Rodney Square.'
'They'll have gone to Flossy Barry's to ask for the redress,' said Maud.
We couldn't help smiling; it is so funny when Maud says words wrong, for she is so wonderfully clever and sensible.
'Yes,' exclaimed Hebe. 'I'm sure they'll have done that. Maud always thinks of the right thing.'
But what were we to do?
Every moment we hoped to hear the front-door bell ring, followed by our sisters' pattering steps running upstairs. We didn't seem to care much about the diamond brooch. Even if I had heard Anne's voice calling out, 'It is it. We've got it!' I think my first words would have been, 'Oh, Anne, how could you go out and frighten us so?'
And of course, even if it had been the brooch, they would never have given it to two children to bring back. Mums would have had to vow it was hers, and all sorts of fuss, I daresay.