," said Mona, hopelessly. "I'll have to bear the
blame. I can't sneak on Millie, and--and so granny'll always think I did
it."

Patty pursed up her pretty lips. "Will she?" she thought to herself.
"She won't if I can help it," but she did not say so aloud. "Let's sort
it out, and see how much really is broken," she said, lifting off the
fatal cushion. "P'raps it isn't as bad as it looks."

Mona shook her head despondently. "It sounded as if every bit was
smashed. There's one cup in half, and a plate with a piece out--no, those
jugs were common ones, they don't matter so much," as Patty picked up a
couple, one with its handle off, the other all in pieces. "Here's a cup
without any handle--oh, poor granny, it'll break her heart, and--and
she'll never forgive me. I don't see how she can. Oh, Patty!
Did anybody in all the world ever have such a trouble before?"

"I shouldn't be surprised," said Patty. "There, that's the lot, Mona.
It's bad enough, but not so bad as it seemed at first. There's two cups,
a plate, and a saucer of the set broken. Two jugs, a basin, and a plate
of the common things."

She put the broken bits of the tea-set on the table, and began to arrange
what was left on the dressers, so as to conceal the painful gaps.
"There, it doesn't look so dreadful now. What had we better do next,
Mona?"

Mona turned away and dropped into granny's big chair. "I--I've got to
tell her, that's what I'd better do next!" she cried. She flung her arms
out on the table, and buried her face in them, sobbing aloud in her
misery.

Patty, alarmed at her grief, went over and put her arms around her shaking
shoulders. "Mona!--Mona, dear, don't cry so. You'll be ill. I'll go and
tell Mrs. Barnes about it, and--and I'll tell her it wasn't your fault."

A slight sound made them both look towards the door--and they saw that
there was no longer any need for anyone to break the news. Granny Barnes
knew it already.

For what seemed to the two girls minutes and minutes, no one uttered a
word. Granny with wide eyes and stricken face, stood staring at her
broken treasures, and the two girls stared at granny. All three faces
were tragic. At last she came slowly forward, and took up one of the
broken pieces. Her poor old hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Mona sprang to her, and flung her arms about her. "Oh, granny, granny,
what can I do? It--was an accident--I mean, I couldn't help it.
Oh, I'd sooner anyt