her money. After all, why should she tell on us? she would gain
nothing by doing so."

"Oh, yes, she would, Annie--she would, Annie," said Mary Morris,
beginning to sob; "oh, do come with us, do! We must pacify her, we really
must."

"I can't come now," said Annie; "hark! some one is calling me. Yes, Miss
Danesbury--what is it?"

"Mrs. Willis wishes to see you at once, Annie, in her private
sitting-room," replied Miss Danesbury; and Annie, wondering not a little,
but quite unsuspicious, ran off.

The fact, however, of her having deliberately disobeyed Mrs. Willis, and
done something which she knew would greatly pain her, brought a shade of
embarrassment to her usually candid face. She had also to confess to
herself that she did not feel quite so comfortable about Mother Rachel as
she had given Mary Morris and Susan Drummond to understand. Her steps
lagged more and more as she approached the house, and she wished, oh, how
longingly! oh, how regretfully! that she had not been naughty and wild
and disobedient in her beloved teacher's absence.

"But where is the use of regretting what is done?" she said, half aloud.
"I know I can never be good--never, never!"

She pushed aside the heavy velvet curtains which shaded the door of the
private sitting-room, and went in, to find Mrs. Willis seated by her
desk, very pale and tired and unhappy looking, while Dora Russell, with
crimson spots on her cheeks and a very angry glitter in her eyes, stood
by the mantel-piece.

"Come here, Annie dear," said Mrs. Willis in her usual gentle and
affectionate tone.

Annie's first wild impulse was to rush to her governess' side, to fling
her arms round her neck, and, as a child would confess to her mother, to
tell her all that story of the walk through the wood, and the stolen
picnic in the fairies' field. Three things, however, restrained her--she
must not relieve her own troubles at the expense of betraying others; she
could not, even if she were willing, say a word in the presence of this
cold and angry-looking Dora; in the third place, Mrs. Willis looked very
tired and very sad. Not for worlds would she add to her troubles at this
instant. She came into the room, however, with a slight hesitation of
manner and a clouded brow, which caused Mrs. Willis to watch her with
anxiety and Dora with triumph.

"Come here, Annie," repeated the governess. "I want to speak to you.
Something very dishonorable and disgraceful has been done in my