e (pussy) had been
left in the room alone there that afternoon she might have done the same
thing again, and knocked the bottle off upon the floor.

It would be no great harm, the little girl reasoned, trying to stifle the
warnings and reproaches of conscience, if she should let pussy take the
blame.

Mamma was kind, and wouldn't have pussy beaten, and pussy's feelings
wouldn't be hurt, either, by the suspicion.

She hurried out in search of the cat, found her in the hall, pounced on
her, carried her into the dressing-room, and left her there with all the
doors shut, so that she could not escape, till some one going in would
find the bottle broken, and think the cat had done it.

This accomplished, Gracie went back to the play-room and tried to forget
her wrong-doing in the interesting employment of dressing her dolls.

Lulu presently left her carving and joined her. Max had gone for a ride.

While chasing the cat Gracie had not perceived a little woolly head thrust
out of a door at the farther end of the hall, its keen black eyes closely
watching her movements.

"He, he, he!" giggled the owner of the head, as Gracie secured pussy and
hurried into the dressing-room with her, "wondah what she done dat fer!"

"What you talkin' 'bout, you sassy niggah?" asked Agnes, coming up behind
her on her way to Mrs. Raymond's apartments with another basket of clean
clothes, just as Gracie reappeared and hurried up the stairs to the story
above."

"Why, Miss Gracie done come pounce on ole Tab while she paradin' down de
hall, and ketch her up an' tote her off into Miss Wilet's dressin'-room,
an's lef her dar wid de do' shut on her. What for you s'pose she done do
dat?"

"Oh, go 'long! I don' b'lieve Miss Gracie didn't do no sich ting!"
returned Agnes.

"She did den, I seed her," asserted the little maid positively. "Mebbe she
heerd de mices runnin' 'round an want ole Tab for to ketch 'em."

"You go 'long and 'tend to yo' wuk. Bet, you lazy niggah," responded
Agnes, pushing past her. "Miss Wilet an Miss Gracie dey'll min' dere own
consarns widout none o' yo' help."

The child made no reply, but stole on tiptoe after Agnes.

Violet was coming up the front stairway, and reached the door of her
dressing-room, just in advance of the girl. Opening it she exclaimed at
the powerful perfume which greeted her nostrils, then catching sight of
the bottle lying in fragments on the floor.

"Who can have done this?" she asked in a t