"Did you see her take them?" asked the Captain.
"No!"
"Then why do you say she did? I don't want to frighten you, David; I
only want to hear why you think she did so."
David was getting alarmed now, and his childish memory better
retained the impression than what had produced it. He hung down his
head, scraped one foot, and finding that he must answer, mumbled out
at last, "Nurse said it, and Hal."
"Henry, come here. Did you accuse your sister to David?"
"No!" burst out Henry at once; but there was a rounding of everyone's
mouth to cry out Oh! and he quickly added, in a hasty scared way, "At
least, when Davie came bothering me, I said he had better ask Betty,
because she had been prying about, and meddling with the baby-house.
I never meant that she had done it; but Davie is such a little jack-
ass!"
"Did you see her meddle with the baby-house!"
"She said that herself," muttered Henry.
"Yes, Papa," said Elizabeth, starting forward, "I did find the doors
of the baby-house open, and shut them up, but I never touched
anything in it! Sam and Susie know I would not, and that I would not
tell a story now, though I once did, you know, Papa!"
Captain Merrifield still kept his grave set face, and only asked,
"When did you find the doors open?"
"On Friday, Papa--Friday week--St.
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