LOVEDAY was not a prisoner, but she was somewhat and ashamed of herself, and Priscilla, who felt very, very sorry for her, and forgot all about her naughtiness and the injury she had done, was quite troubled to see how grave her father looked, and how sternly he to her.  
“Well,” he said, “this is a nice thing! Here am I, called away from my patients and everything, to come and help a little girl who cannot be trusted to go a-visiting by herself but she must go and behave disgracefully, and bring shame on us all! What have you to say for yourself?”
 
“Nothing, daddy,” cried the disgraced one, flinging herself into his arms and burying her face on his shoulder, while the spade and the bucket with “Thomas” on it went to the ground.
 
Fortunately, Dr. Carlyon had not put his harrowing questions until they had passed the green and the houses, and were in the little hotel where they were to have dinner before going to interview Bessie. But his stern silence all the way had impressed Loveday more than any words could have done, and when at last he spoke, her poor little troubled heart could bear no more.
 
“O daddy,” she , “I only meaned to be very kind, and to make him happy ’cause he’d lost his son and was very unhappy, and we got up in the morning when we were so sleepy and tired we didn’t want to get up a bit, but it was to help him, and we wanted to make it all look nice, and we thought ’twas the piskies put the old straw there, but it was Mr. Winter did it—and how could we know? Of course we shouldn’t have done it if we had! And then Mr. Winter came out and caught us. Oh, ’twas ever so early, and he was so angry, he looked—oh, he looked as if he would eat us! and he said such dreadful things, and I told him all about it. I ’splained everything, but he doesn’t believe there are any fairies, and then he took us indoors and locked us in a room while he thought what he’d do with us, and I was ’fraid he’d heave us to cliff like we heaved the straw, but Aaron said he’d know better than do that ’cause he’d be hanged for it. Aaron talked a lot when we were locked in, and Mr. Winter wasn’t there, but he was nearly crying before. I don’t think much of Aaron, and I’ll—I’ll never like him any more! He said he reckoned Mr. Winter would turn them out of their cottage for what we had done, and ’twould be all my fault, and I told him he was a very bad, mean boy to say such things, and if he didn’t take care all that he ate would turn acid like it did to the wicked uncle in the Babes of the Wood, but all he said was that he wouldn’t mind that, if he could only get something to eat.”
 
“Well,” said her father, with a patient sigh, but holding his little daughter very close, “you seem to have had a pleasant ten minutes in your prison—but get on with your story.”
 
“Ten minutes!” cried Loveday, drawing back in her surprise to look up at his face; “ten hours more likely, daddy!”
 
“Oh! was it nearly night then when you came out?”
 
“Well, no—but it was quite breakfast-time when we got home.”
 
“I see—it seemed like ten hours.”
 
“Oh yes!” sighed Loveday, with a very sober shake of her curly head; “and it was such a dirty, little room. I don’t think Mrs. Tucker can be a very clean person,” she added, in a grave tone.
 
“Never mind Mrs. Tucker—get on with your story. I don’t suppose you were very clean either at that time in the morning!”
 
“Well—you see we always washed when we got up the second time. We were in too great a hurry the first time.”
 
“What did Mr. Winter say when he came back and let you out?” asked Dr. Carlyon.
 
“He said he hadn’t been able to think of a punishment yet, so we might go home then, and he would send for us later. Aaron said that was because it was going to be something dreadful, and I wanted to run away to some place where I could never be caught; but Aaron said it would be mean to go and leave him to face it all. Would it, father?”
 
“Very. I am extremely glad you did not do that.”
 
“But, daddy, s’posing he sends me away from you! What shall I do?” and the blue eyes filled with tears again.
 
And at the sight of them, and the thought of such a dreadful possibility, Priscilla, who had been near with a very, very serious face, listening to all the harrowing story, almost wept too, and told her precious secret in her desire to comfort her little sister.
 
“Oh, dear little Loveday, don’t cry any more! You won’t be sent away—I am sure you won’t. And just look here at the lovely present I’ve got for you! Father, put her down, that she may try it on.”
 
For the moment, at any rate, all Loveday’s vanished, and Priscilla forgot her cares, too, in the excitement and happiness at the pleasure in store for Loveday. And then the basket was opened, and out came the parcel, and the red cloak was unfolded, and displayed before Loveday’s dazzled eyes; and her delight was as great as even Priscilla had hoped it would be.
 
“For me!” she cried—“me! For my very own! O Prissy, how lovely! What a dear! Let me put it on quick. Do you think it will suit me?” And in another moment the pretty red cloak was round her, and the over her tumbled curls, while Prissy, like a little mother, knelt to button it round her, managing as best she could with her one hand.
 
“Do I look very pretty in it?” asked Loveday, appealing, quite unembarrassed, to her father.
 
“Well, not so very plain,” said her father, pretending to study her very critically. “I have seen you look worse,” though in his heart he thought he had seldom seen anything so charming as the little flushed face, the eyes still............