dered Mr Hawthorne looked from one face to the other.

"I don't know what you're both talking about," he said. "Ambrose, you
are the elder, try to explain what you mean, and how you and David come
to know anything about Miss Barnicroft's money."

That was not so easy, but at last, by dint of some help from David and
many questions from his father, Ambrose halted lamely through the
history. He had a feeling that the vicar's face was getting graver and
graver as he went on, but he did not dare to look up, and it was David
who asked anxiously when he had finished:

"Are we thieves, father? Will she put us in prison?"

"Did you remember, Ambrose," said Mr Hawthorne, "when you asked your
brother to go with you to Rumborough Camp, that you and he are strictly
forbidden to go so far alone?"

"Yes, father," whispered Ambrose, "but we did so want things for the
museum."

"And when you had taken all this trouble to get them, why did you not
put the coins into the museum?"

"Because," put in David, "we were afraid the others would ask where we
got them. But we didn't know they belonged to Miss Barnicroft, so _are_
we thieves, father?"

That seemed to David the one important point to be settled. If they
were not thieves they would not be sent to prison.

"As far as Miss Barnicroft is concerned, you are not thieves," replied
Mr Hawthorne.

David gave a sigh of relief.

"But--" he continued gravely, "you and Ambrose have stolen something
from me of much more value than Miss Barnicroft's money. Do you know
what that is?"

The boys were silent.

"Listen, and I will try to explain what I mean," said the vicar; "and I
speak more particularly to you, Ambrose, because you are older than
David, and he did wrong through your persuasion. When you dug the coins
up you did not know that you were taking what belonged to someone else,
but you did know very well that you were disobedient in going there at
all. That is what was wrong, and by doing that you have destroyed my
trust in you. Now, trust in anyone is a most precious thing, more
precious a great deal than Miss Barnicroft's money, and much harder to
give back when it is once lost. The money you will return to-morrow;
but how are you going to restore my trust? That is not to be done in a
moment. Sometimes, after we once lose a person's trust, we can never
give it back at all, and that is very sad, because nothing else in the
world makes up for it."

"Sha'n't y