e" her. He had
quite left off puzzling his head as to where the little coin had come
from; he had found it in Floss's drawer, that was quite enough. If he
had any thoughts about its history, they were that either Floss had had
"the sixpenny" a long time ago and had forgotten it, or that the fairies
had brought it; and on the whole he inclined to the latter explanation,
for you see there was something different about this sixpenny to any he
had ever seen before.

Very likely "fairies' sixpennies" are always that pretty yellow colour,
he thought.

One day, about a week after the loss of the half-sovereign, Maurice
happened to come into the nursery just at the little ones' tea-time. It
was a half-holiday, and he had been out a long walk with some of his
companions, for he still went to school at Sandyshore, and now he had
come in tremendously hungry and thirsty.

"I say, nurse," he exclaimed, seating himself unceremoniously at the
table, "I'm awfully hungry, and mamma's out, and we shan't have tea for
two hours yet. And Carrots, young man, I want your paint-box; mine's all
gone to smash, and Cecil won't lend me hers, and I want to paint flags
with stars and stripes for my new boat."

"Tars and tipes," repeated Carrots, "what's tars and tipes?"

"What's that to you?" replied Mott, politely. "Bless me, I am so
thirsty. Give me your tea, Carrots, and nurse will make you some more.
What awful weak stuff! But I'm too thirsty to wait."

He seized Carrots' mug and drank off its contents at one draught. But
when he put the mug down he made a _very_ wry face.

"What horrible stuff!" he exclaimed. "Nurse, you've forgotten to put in
any sugar."

"No, she hasn't," said Carrots, bluntly.

Nurse smiled, but said nothing, and Floss looked fidgety.

"What do you mean?" said Mott. "Don't you like sugar--eh, young 'un?"

"Yes, I do like it," replied Carrots, but he would say no more.

Floss grew more and more uneasy.

"Oh, Mott," she burst out, "please don't tease Carrots. It's nothing
wrong; it's only something we've planned ourselves."

Mott's curiosity was by this time thoroughly aroused.

"A secret, is it?" he exclaimed, pricking up his ears; "you'd best tell
it me. I'm a duffer at keeping secrets. Out with it."

Floss looked ready to cry, and Carrots shut his mouth tight, as if
determined not to give in. Nurse thought it time to interfere.

"Master Maurice," she said, appealingly, "don't tease the poor little
thing