l would
open the next day because now she was old enough to go.

The day after the party Aunt Trudy decided to "run into the city"
for her new glasses and some special errands. She left soon after
breakfast and would, she informed Winnie, return on the 5:48 train
that afternoon.

It was the day for Rosemary's music lesson and she went, at two
o'clock, to her teacher's house. The lesson over, she took a book
back to the Library for Aunt Trudy, bought some clothespins for
Winnie and meeting Jack Welles, brown and freckled from his fishing
trip, accepted his invitation to stop at the hardware store and see
the prize trout his father had caught and which was mounted and on
exhibition in the window. So it was nearly half past four when she
reached home.

"Rosemary!" a shrill whisper came down to her over the bannisters,
as she went upstairs to leave the book she had selected for Aunt
Trudy on the table in her room. "Rosemary, come up here, quick!"

Rosemary, vaguely frightened, ran up to Sarah's room. Shirley was
there and both little girls looked as though they had been crying.

"What's the matter--did Shirley hurt herself?" asked Rosemary in
alarm.

Sarah shut the door and looked at her older sister queerly.

"Promise you won't tell? Cross-your-heart-hope-to-die?" she urged.

Rosemary sat down on the bed.

"Is it good or bad?" she asked cautiously.

"Bad!" cried Shirley in an awe-struck tone. "Awfully bad. Isn't it,
Sarah?"

Sarah nodded hopelessly.

"It's so bad," she declared, "that you never heard anything as bad.
And if you tell, Rosemary, I'll run away, as far off as I can run
away, and never, never come back."

Sarah's dark eyes were red-rimmed and she seemed so desperately
unhappy that Rosemary's kind heart was touched.

"Oh, Sarah darling, you know I won't tell!" she exclaimed. "I don't
care what it is, I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Sarah drew a long breath of relief. She sat down on the floor, her
favorite resting place, and Shirley scrambled down beside her.

"Well then," said Sarah more calmly, "I've lost Aunt Trudy's
turquoise ring!"

"You've lost Aunt Trudy's turquoise ring!" repeated Rosemary. "How
on earth could you lose her ring?"

"We were playing with the jewel case," murmured Sarah, a dark red
flush rising under her brown skin.

"Sarah Eaton Willis! And after what Hugh told you!" Rosemary stared
at the culprit in astonishment.

For Aunt Trudy's jewel case, containing numer