r eyes any wider. And when she had secured the little
box, she wrapped it in brown paper, and twined it, and sealed it, and
addressed it to her sister Josephine in London."

"Then she stole it," said Pauline.

"Not a bit of it. What a narrow-minded girl you are! Just hear my story
out. Becky sent the thimble to Josephine to their house in Bayswater,
with directions that Josephine was to take it to their jeweller, Paxton,
and ask him to make another in all particulars precise ditto the same.
You understand? Precise ditto the same--sapphire, gold, turquoise, and
all. And this beautiful thimble is to be worn on the dear little middle
finger of Becky's dear little white hand. When it is faithfully copied
you will have the original thimble back, my love, but not before. Now,
then, ta-ta for the present."

Nancy ran off before Pauline had time to reply. She felt stunned. What
did everything mean? How queer of Nancy to have suddenly turned into a
perfectly awful girl--a sort of fiend--a girl who had another girl
completely in her power; who could, and would if she liked, make that
other girl wretched; who could and would ruin that other girl's life.
There was a time when the midnight picnic seemed the most delightful
thing on earth; but it scarcely appeared delightful now to poor Pauline,
whose head ached, whose arm ached, and whose whole body ached. What was
she to do?

When she re-entered the shrubbery, her unhappy feelings were by no means
lightened to see that Penelope was waiting for her. Penelope stood a
little way off, her feet firmly planted a little apart, her straw hat
pushed back from her sunburned face, her hands dropped straight to her
sides.

"I didn't eavesdrop," she said. "I could have easy. There was a
blackberry briar, and I could have stole under it and not minded the
scratches, and I could have heard every single word; but I didn't, 'cos
I'm not mean. But I saw you talking to Nancy, what kind Aunt Sophy says
you're not to talk to. Perhaps, seeing you has done what is awful wrong,
you'll give me a penny instead of Aunt Sophy; then I needn't tell her
that you were talking to Nancy when you oughtn't, and that I think you
have got the thimble. Will you give me a penny or will you not?"

Pauline put her hand into her pocket.

"You are a most detestable child," she said.

"Think so if you like," said Penelope. "Oh, here's my penny!"

She snatched at the penny which was reposing on Pauline's palm.

"No