by L. T. Meade
beautiful!" said Nina. "We want you to know becauseyou are our flesh and blood, but it's only fair you should give ussomething in exchange."
"Then I will--I _will_ show it to you. I'll lock the door first. Itis--it is--too beautiful--you'll envy me all the days of your lives,both of you. But you must never breathe it--you must go on your kneesand solemnly declare that you won't let it out."
"All right," said Nina, her little eyes dancing. "And you will go on_your_ knees and promise that _you_ won't let out what we have got tosay to you."
"Silly children," said Fanchon. "You can't have much of a secret."
"But we have--we have, we certainly have!" said Josie.
"Well then, here, let us clasp hands--that'll do equally well," saidFanchon. "We'll never, any of us, tell to anybody, what is about totake place in this bedroom. I, Fanchon Amberley, promise."
"And I, Josephine Amberley, promise," cried Josephine.
"And I, Nina Amberley, promise," exclaimed little Nina.
"Now, Nina, lock the door," said Fanchon.
Nina did so.
"Who'll show first?" she asked, her small face crimson.
"Oh--it's something to show?" said Fanchon. "Well, you'll show first,of course--you're the youngest."
"Must I?" said Nina. "You're the eldest, you ought to begin."
"Nothing of the sort: the greater comes last."
"I wonder if it is greater!" said Nina.
"Never mind--you will soon see."
"Well then--I'll begin."
Each sister possessed a little sacred drawer. The sisters' drawers weredestitute of keys, for Brenda had appropriated the key for her own farmore valuable possessions. Nina's was the bottom drawer. The chest wasa rude, shaky concern, but the drawer itself was deep and held a gooddeal. She went on her knees now and pulled it open and pushed herlittle hand into the farthest back corner and took from within a tinycardboard box. Her hand shook as she laid the box in her lap and lookedup at Fanchon. Fanchon did not speak. She was waiting for Nina toproceed.
"Open it quickly, do!" said Fanchon, when the little girl stillhesitated.
"It'll surprise you," said Nina. "You never could think that I wouldhave such a thing: but it's my very, very own. There, look!"
The box was pulled open, the cotton wool removed, the little gilt broochwith its false turquoise was held up for Fanchon's inspection.
"It is mine!" said Nina--"_she_ gave it to me!"
"Who in the world is _she_?" asked Fanchon, very much impressed by thebrooch, and secretly coveting it. "That darling Mademoiselle. Oh, Ican't tell you anything more; but she was sorry for us little girls whogo to bed every night in the hot, hot hours in this hot, hot room--andshe gave me this! It's a beautiful, beautiful trinket, isn't it?"
"It is very pretty indeed," said Fanchon.
"Well now--you see mine," said Josie, and she produced the brooch whichheld the false pearls.
"There!"--she said--"Mademoiselle called them `very chic,' and aren'tthey--aren't they lovely?"
"They are sweet!" said Fanchon. "How curious of her to give them toyou. Of course they can't be real."
"I know that, but it doesn't matter a bit," said Nina--"they look likereal, and that's the main thing. Poor dear Mademoiselle couldn't affordreal jewellery."
"You think they look real," said Fanchon. "Wait till you see--"
She had discovered the spot where Brenda kept the real key of the chestof drawers. She had watched carefully, and had seen her put it inside abroken vase on the top shelf of the over-mantel that very morning.
"Girls," she said, "I have something to show you. Both of you go andbury your heads against your counterpanes. Kneel down by your beds, anddon't look, to save your lives. Then _you_ will see something!"
The girls flew to obey. In a minute Fanchon had opened the drawer andhad taken out the little precious box.
"Now you may look, and you must be quick!" she said. "Oh dear--it isweak of me even to show it--but when you see it--"
She opened the precious box and lifted out the bangle, which shesupposed to be the real one. There was the blue stone, there was theclasp, and there was the rim of gold, but--Fanchon felt all the colourrushing madly up to her face, and then leaving it. The bangle was _not_her bangle! Oh, yes--she had studied it once or twice; she had observedits elegance, its dainty finish. "This--this--"
She looked wildly at her two sisters, who glanced at her in some wonder.
"Where _did_ you get this?" said Nina, who felt that if she did notpretend now, all the rest of her life would be worthless to her.
"It was given to me by Brenda--oh, let me put it away--some one willcome--I am frightened!"
"It's only an old shilling thing, isn't it?" said Josie. "Indeed not--it is real, as real can be."
"Then why didn't you show us the gold mark? there's always a gold markon real things--at least so Mademoiselle says."
"I can--oh dear, oh dear--of course I can! but--you must come to thelight."
The three girls approached the window. They turned the bangle round andround. Alas! that curious little mark which Joe Burbery had detectedunder the lamp-post was nowhere to be found on the false bangle.Fanchon burst into a flood of tears.
"Some one has _stolen_ the real bangle!--whatever am I to do?"
The two girls clustered round her. She cried a good deal; thencarefully returned the bangle to its hidden place.
"I don't know what is to be done!" she said. "It's the most awful thingthat ever happened! But _my_ bangle that was eighteen carat gold--andthere was the most lovely turquoise in it--is gone! Oh, what am I todo!"
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
A FORLORN HOPE.
The Amberleys were really fond of each other. They were worldly littlecreatures, and had never been trained in high principles of any sort;but they clung together, as motherless, defenceless creatures will intheir hour of peril. They had a queer feeling now that they were insome sort of danger, and the younger ones sympathised enormously withFanchon.
They did not of course dare to tell her what had happened on theprevious night--how Nina had worn the bangle, the real eighteen caratgold bangle, the bangle with the turquoise of such size and elegance, ofsuch an exquisite shade of colour, the bangle with that delicate traceryall over its gold rim. That bangle was so widely different from this,that there was no doubt whatever that the one had been substituted forthe other. How had it been done? Mademoiselle? Oh, no, no. Ninalooked at Josephine, and Josephine was afraid to meet Nina's eyes, asthe thoughts flashed quickly through each little brain.
Mademoiselle had helped them to undress. Mademoiselle had herself putthe precious bangle away. But no--she was kind--more than kind. Itcould not be in the heart of such a woman to do anything so shabby.Nevertheless, the thought of Mademoiselle's past treachery had come toboth the little sisters, and they hated themselves for it, and feared toglance at each other, and above all things dreaded what Fanchon might bethinking about. Fanchon was, however, far too miserable to worryherself with regard to her little sisters' thoughts.
"I cannot make it out," she said. "Of course I shall have to speak topoor Brenda about it."
"Perhaps Brenda did it herself," said Nina then. It was an audaciousand very wicked thought which had come to the little girl, but she wasreally intensely anxious to shield Mademoiselle at that moment. Thewords she uttered bore some fruit, for Fanchon considered them verycarefully, and said aloud:
"If I really thought that--"
"What would you do if you did think that?" asked Josephine.
"I should go straight home to papa, and tell him everything--everything!" was Fanchon's answer.
"But have you a great deal to tell him?"
"I have--oh, I have. I am a miserable girl! That odious--that vulgar--that detestable bangle--is _that_ what I am to have in the end? Sheprobably did _exchange_ it for the real one, because she wanted to wearthe real one herself. Oh, girls--how am I to endure it!"
"Buck up, whatever you do," said Nina; "and remember your promise."
"Oh--how I hate promises!" said Fanchon. "I want to fly at her now,horrid thing! and confront her with the truth."
"Well, you can't anyhow for the present, on account of your promise,"said Josie.
"Perhaps to-night you may talk to her, but certainly not before; andit's time for us to be going down to the sands," said Nina.
