"Oh, Patsy again! Everything is Patsy now. That is the reason you don't want to help me, because you have got a new friend. Even your own brother is of no account now."
"That is not a bit true, and you have no right to say it; and I don't think you are a very good brother to ask me to do what is not right."
"But there is no harm in it, really, Elizabeth! I am not doing the room any harm, and it can't possibly hurt Aunt Caroline to have me here. Where is the wrong of it?"
"The key," persisted Elizabeth. "I ought not to have taken the key."
"Oh, nonsense! You got it, and that's all there is about it. You can't undo what you have done, and now the best thing is to keep quiet about it and it won't hurt any one. But if you were to go and tell it would make a terrible fuss, and every one would be upset, and nobody would be a bit better for it."
There seemed to be some truth in this reasoning. After all, it would be easy to keep her aunt in ignorance, thought Elizabeth. She would never do such a thing again; but now that it was done—
Valentine saw that his argument had some effect, and he hastened to follow it up.
"And I do want to tell you all about it!" he added, craftily.
"Oh, Val," said Elizabeth, hurriedly. "I want to hear about it and I want to help you. And, after all, it is too late about the room. I—I—think I'll promise!"
"That you won't tell?"