Violet’s faithful dealing, and even more her evident deep distress because of the sin against God of which her darling had been guilty, had so convinced the child of the heinousness of her conduct that she was sorely distressed because of it, and on being left alone, knelt down again and pleaded for pardon with many bitter tears and sobs.

She had risen from her knees and was lying on a couch, still weeping, when Lulu came into the room.

“Why, Gracie, what is the matter?” she asked, running to the couch and bending over her little sister in tender concern.

“Don’t ask me, Lulu, I don’t want to tell you,” sobbed Gracie, turning away her blushing, tear-stained face.

“Mamma Vi has been scolding or punishing you for some little naughtiness, I suppose,” said Lulu, frowning.

“No, she hasn’t!” cried Gracie indignantly; then hastily correcting herself, “except that she said she wanted me to stay here alone for a while.  So you must go and leave me.”

“I won’t till you tell me what it was all about.  What did you do? or was it something you didn’t do?”

“I don’t want to tell you, ’cause you wouldn’t ever do such a wicked thing, and you—­you’d despise me if you knew I’d done it,” sobbed Gracie.

“No, I wouldn’t.  You are better than I am.  Papa said I was worse than you and Max both put together.  So you needn’t mind my knowing.”

“I meddled and broke mamma’s pretty bottle that her dead father gave her; but she didn’t scold me for that; not a bit; but—­but ’cause I tried to put the blame on puss, and—­and said I—­I never touched her things when she wasn’t here.”

“O Gracie, that was wicked! to say what wasn’t true!  I think papa would have whipped you, for I’ve heard him say if there was anything he would punish severely in one of his children, it was falsehood.  But don’t cry so.  I’m sure you’re sorry and won’t ever do it again.”

“No, no! never, never!  Mamma hugged me up in her arms and cried hard ’cause I’d been so wicked.  And she asked Jesus to forgive me and make me good, so I shouldn’t have to go to that dreadful place.  Now go away, Lu, ’cause she said I must stay alone.”

“Yes, I will; but stop crying or you’ll be sick,” Lulu said, kissing Gracie, then left the room and went to her own to make herself neat before going down to join the family at tea.

Her thoughts were busy with Gracie and her trouble while she brushed her hair, washed her hands, and changed her dress.  “Poor, little weak thing, she was frightened into it, of course, for it’s the very first time she ever told an untruth.  I suppose Mamma Vi must have looked very cross about the broken bottle; and she needn’t, I’m sure, for she has plenty of money to buy more.  Such a shame! but I just knew she wouldn’t always be kind to us.”

Thus Lulu worked herself up into a passion, quite forgetting, in her unreasonable anger, how very mild was the punishment Violet had decreed to Gracie (if indeed it was meant as such at all); so much less severe than the one she herself had said their father would have been likely to administer.