etty!"

"Do you mean my cousin, Betty Vivian?"

"Of course, who else?"

"Well, what had she to do with it?"

"I will tell you if you like, Fanny. She didn't expect me to keep it a
secret. I met her when I was out----"

"You--met Betty--when you were out?"

"Yes." There was a kind of reserve in Sibyl's tone which made Fanny
scent a possible mystery.

"Where did you meet her?" was the next inquiry.

"Well, she was standing by the stump of an old tree which is hollow
inside. It is just at the top of the hill by the bend, exactly where the
hill goes down towards the 'forest primeval.'"

"Can't say I remember it," said Fanny. "Go on, Sib. So Betty was
standing there?"

"Yes, oh yes. I saw her in the distance. I was expecting to meet Clarice
and Mary Moss; but they failed me, although they had faithfully promised
to come. So when I saw Betty I could not resist running up to her; but
when I got quite close I stood still."

"Well, you stood still. Why?"

"Oh Fan, she was doing such a funny thing! She was bending down and
looking over into the hollow of the tree. Then, all of a sudden, she
thrust her hand in--far down--and took something out of the tree and
looked at it. I could just catch sight of what it was----"

"Yes, go on. What was it? Don't be afraid of me, Sib. I have a lot of
chocolates in my pocket that I will give you presently."

"Oh thank you, Fanny! It is nice to talk to you. I couldn't see very
distinctly what she had in her hand, only she was staring at it, and
staring at it; and then she dropped it in again, right down into the
depths of the tree; and I saw her bending more than ever, as though she
were covering it up."

"But you surely saw what it was like?"

"It might have been anything--I wasn't very near then. I ran up to her,
and asked her what it was."

"And what did she say?"

"Oh, she said it was a piece of wood, and that she had dropped it into
the tree."

Fanny sat very still. A coldness came over her. She was nearly stunned
with what she considered the horror of Betty's conduct.

"What is the matter?" asked Sibyl.

"Nothing at all, Sib; nothing at all. And then, what happened?"

"Betty was very cross at being disturbed."

"That is quite probable," said Fanny with a laugh.

"She certainly was, and I--I--I am afraid I annoyed her; but after a
minute or two she got up and allowed me to walk with her. We walked
towards the house, and she told me all kinds of funny stories;