"Martin then left the house; and Monique, going up to the room where
she slept, and where the great family chest was kept, called all her
grandchildren, and letting them see where she put the purse, she
charged them, one and all, not to speak one word to any person out of
the house about the treasure which had been found.
"'Why must not we, grandmother?' said Margot.
"'Because,' replied Monique, 'if any thieves were to hear that we had
got so much money in the house, they might come some time when your
father was out, and break open the chest and steal it.'
"'And perhaps they might kill us,' replied Margot, trembling all over.
"'We must not speak of it, then,' said Ella, 'to anyone.'
"'Our best way,' remarked Jacques, 'will be not to mention it to each
other. We will never speak of it.'
"'How can we help it?' said Meeta; 'I can never help talking of what I
am thinking about.'
"'That is a mistake of yours, Meeta,' said Monique; 'you never talk of
some things which happened at Vienne, which you think would be no
credit to you.'
"'You mean about our being so very poor, and being forced to sell our
clothes, grandmother? I don't think that I should go to talk of that to
strangers.'
"'Then you can keep some things to yourself, Meeta,' said Monique; 'and
we shall not excuse you if you are so imprudent as to let out this
affair of the treasure we have found to anyone.'
"'Don't fear me, grandmother,' returned Meeta; 'nobody shall hear from
me--but we must watch little Margot.'
"That same evening, Martin Stolberg carried the purse and all the
contents down to the house of the good pastor. He gave as his reason
for so doing, that, being himself somewhat pressed for money, he did
not dare to trust himself with this treasure."
The Story in Emily's Book. Part II.
[Illustration: Going gaily down the hill]
Lucy had read first, and when she had finished the half of the story,
Mrs. Fairchild proposed that they should take what was in the basket,
before they went on to the second part.
Mr. Fairchild was called in, and Mrs. Fairchild served each person from
the store.
"I am quite sure," said Emily, "that Monique Stolberg never made nicer
cakes than these."
"Papa," said Lucy, "I cannot help thinking that your book is not half
so pretty as ours. You don't know what a pleasant story we have been
reading, and we have half of it left to read. Shall I tell it to you,
papa?" she added; and springing up, she placed herself close to him,
putting one arm round his neck, and in a few minutes she made him as
well acquainted with Monique, and Martin, and Ella, and Meeta, and
Jacques, and Margot, and Heister Kamp, and Father St. Goar, as she was
herself; "and now, papa," she said, "will any of the children, do you
think, betray the secret?"
"Yes," said Mr. Fairchild, smiling, "one of them will."
"And who will that be, papa?" said Emily.
"Not Jacques," replied Henry, though he was not asked; "I am sure it
will not be Jacques."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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