"Never mind," I said, "when I see Miss Bess in the morning I will go into the matter, and find out how she spent her money." I wondered, as I sat down and began to embroider after folding up my letter, what would be the explanation of the mystery. Probably, I said to myself, a little present to Harry, for Bess is a very generous little soul, and most of her pocket-money is spent in gifts. [Sidenote: NANA IS ANGRY] The next morning my old nurse, holding tightly Bess's hand, came downstairs just as I had finished breakfast. She looked, as Burbidge would say, "black as tempest," and I didn't envy Eliza's place in the nursery. "Miss Bess will tell you," she said, "and as for Liza, I think it a most disgraceful affair to have let the poor lamb spend her money as she and Mademoiselle did, and never so much as to turn their heads back. Pack of fools talkin' to passers-by whilst the poor child was bein' robbed. That's what I call 'em." "I wasn't," cried Bess, stoutly. "It was my own money and my own fault. I paid it all myself, and I won't tell nobody about it but mama." Old Nana took no notice of this outburst, and vowed that she would get the money back somehow, and let everybody know what she really thought of 'em. I said nothing, for the fat was in the fire, and the one thing that I am sure of was, that you couldn't change anybody's determination of over seventy; and what Nana determines to do, Nana will do, for all the king's horses and all the king's men. When Bess and I were alone, I turned to Bess. "Tell me, little girl," I said. Bess answered, "Oh, mama, I know it is all right. Nana's very old, but she couldn't get it out of me. I mean to tell nobody but you and Hals, for a secret is a secret." And she added irrelevantly, "I couldn't walk with you because I felt I must do it." "What, dear?" "_Making it up with God_," replied Bess, but quite reverently. "When I heard that Fräulein had broken her leg, I knew that something must be done, for, for all you said, mamsie, I couldn't help feeling that my curse might have done something; not," explained Bess, "exactly made Fräulein break her leg, but it might have made it easier for her to do so." "Yes, dear, but tell me what you did." "Oh, you know, mamsie," answered Bess. "I went off for a walk with Liza and Célestine, but first of all I slipped upstairs when nobody was looking and got my purse. I didn't quite know what I had, for I didn't stop to count the money inside, but there were three silver bits and four copper monies. "When I got into Mr. ----'s shop," pursued Bess, "I said I wanted something that would be a comfort to somebody who had broken their leg. And he said, 'Certainly, Miss, I have just what you want.' And he gave me a little leather case painted all over with pink and blue flowers, quite pretty, though not quite like any flowers that I know." "Yes, Bess," I said, and took little Bess's hand encouragingly. [Sidenote: A GIFT FROM BESS]