‘But was she angry with you?’ persisted Harriet.

Anne hesitated; and Elizabeth replied, ’No, of course she could not be angry with Anne, when it was all my doing.  She must be displeased enough with me, though.’

‘But will she tell Mamma and Aunt Mildred?’ said Harriet.

‘I do not think she will,’ answered Anne.

‘No, because she trusts to me to tell,’ said Elizabeth; ’so that you see I must, Harriet.’

‘Must you?’ said Harriet; ’I cannot see why; it will only get us all a scolding.’

‘Which we richly deserve,’ said Elizabeth.

‘I am sure, if you like to be scolded,’ said Harriet, ’you are very welcome; only do not make Mamma scold me too.’

‘I am sure, if you like to be insincere and cowardly,’ said Elizabeth, ‘you shall not make me so too.’

‘I do not want you to tell a fib,’ said Harriet; ’I only want you to say nothing.’

‘L’un vaut bien l’autre,’ said Elizabeth.

‘What?’ said Harriet; ’do only wait till we are gone, if you are determined to tell—­there’s a dear girl.’

‘Deceive Papa and Mamma for three whole days!’ cried Elizabeth; ’I wonder you are not ashamed of yourself.  Besides, Harriet, I do not see what you have to fear.  It was Kate and I who did wrong; we knew better, and cast away Helen’s good advice; we shut our eyes and went headlong into mischief, but you had no reason to suppose that you might not do as we did.’

‘No,’ said Harriet, ‘I should not care if it was not for Fido.’

‘But will my silence find Fido?’ said Elizabeth.

‘No,’ said Harriet; ’but if Mamma knows we went there she will scold us for going, because she will be angry about Fido; and if she once thinks that it was I who lost him—­oh, Lizzie, you do not know how angry she will be!’

‘But, Harriet,’ said Katherine, ’I thought you used to say that you could do anything with your Mamma, and that she never minded where you went.’

‘Oh! that is when she is in good humour,’ said Harriet; ’she is not often cross with me, but when she is, you may hear her from one end of the house to the other.  Cannot you, Lucy?  And now she will be dreadfully cross about Fido, and the other thing coming upon it, I do not know what she may say.  O Lizzie, you will save me!’

‘I will only tell of Kate and myself,’ said Elizabeth; ’or I will ask Papa not to mention it to Mrs. Hazleby; though, Harriet, there are some people who prefer any suffering, just or unjust, to deceit.’

‘Then you mean to tell directly,’ said Katherine, in a piteous tone.

‘Of course I do,’ said Elizabeth; ’there is the dining-room door shut.  Come with me, Kate.’

Katherine rather unwillingly followed her sister into the passage; but when there, fear making her ingenious, a sudden thought struck her.  ‘Lizzie,’ whispered she, ’if you tell Papa that you and I went, Mrs. Hazleby will be sure to hear, and if she asks Harriet about it, perhaps she—­you know—­may tell a story about it.’