ous rings and pins of
no inconsiderable value and for which she cared little beyond the
pleasure of possession seldom, if ever, wearing any of the pieces,
had delighted Sarah and Shirley from the first moment they
discovered it. Their aunt had indulgently allowed them to deck
themselves out and play "lady" and apparently the idea that anything
could happen to a valuable brooch or ring or a string of pearls, or
cut amber beads be lost, never occurred to her. It occurred to
Doctor Hugh, however, when he came home unexpectedly one afternoon
and met Sarah and Shirley arrayed in barbaric splendor. He had
immediately forbidden further play with the jewelry and, at his
orders, Aunt Trudy had placed the case among the list of things on
her dresser which must not be touched.

"I didn't think Aunt Trudy would care if we played with her rings a
little while this afternoon," said Sarah uneasily, "We were going
to put everything back, weren't we, Shirley? I had the ring on and
Winnie called me to go get a cake of yeast--she's always wanting me
to run errands. And when I came back the ring was gone off my finger
and we hunted everywhere and we couldn't find it. So it must be
lost," wound up the small sinner.

"I don't believe you have half looked," protested Rosemary. "Where
did you go after you bought the yeast cake? Straight home? Well,
I'll go look all the way to the store and back, and you and Shirley
look everywhere in the house you can think of."

"You won't tell, will you, Rosemary?" coaxed Sarah. "Hugh will be so
mad, but Aunt Trudy won't mind. She never wears any of her rings."

"Of course I won't tell," said Rosemary impatiently. "I promised.
But you hurry and put the rest of the things back in the case and
put it on Aunt Trudy's dresser, Sarah. And then look all over the
house."

Rosemary searched every step of the way to the grocery store where
Sarah had gone to buy the yeast cake, and all the way back, but with
no result. The two little girls reported that they had looked
"everywhere" in the house, but no ring had obligingly turned up.
Aunt Trudy came home, apparently saw nothing wrong with the orderly
array of articles on her dresser, and dinner was a comfortable meal
if three of the five present were a little more silent than usual.

That night, when they were getting ready for bed, Rosemary announced
that she had a plan. She had offered to go to bed when Sarah went
and the surprised and pleased Aunt Trudy had