'I hate passing that way,' she murmured to herself. 'I shut my eyes tight not to see the cabi----. What are you staring at me like that for, Ruth?' she broke off suddenly, finding the girl's eyes fixed upon her. 'I only said it's very bad to have something on your mind, and so it is.' Ruth by this time was as pale as she had been red. 'But what do you mean--how do you know, Miss Flossie? How do you know I have anything on my mind, and what were you saying about the old cabinet?' 'I was speaking to myself. You shouldn't listen,' said Flossie crossly. '_I've_ something on my mind, but you needn't ask about it. You may be sorry for me, just as I'm sorry for you, but you needn't ask questions about what it is.' 'I--I wasn't asking questions,' said Ruth, more and more bewildered. 'I was only wondering why--what--what made you speak of the old cabinet in the passage? Did anyone--Naylor or anyone--say anything about it since you came, Miss Flossie?' It was Flossie's turn to start. 'No,' she said, 'of course not. Nobody knows--oh, I wish I hadn't come here!' she suddenly broke off, 'and I wish you wouldn't speak of horrid things, Ruth. You weren't here in the winter; you couldn't know. And oh, I _am_ so unhappy,' and throwing herself into Ruth's arms, the little girl burst into loud weeping. [Illustration] CHAPTER IV.--A DOUBLE CONFESSION. This was what was on little Flossie's mind, and on her grandmother's mind too, for that matter! It had happened several months ago, during the child's last visit to the Tower House. One day Flossie had a cold. Not a very bad one, but enough to make her cross and uncomfortable. She was tired of reading, tired of her dolls, tired of everything, and it was a very woebegone-looking little girl that came to say good-night to grandmamma. 'I wish I'd something to amuse me,' she said dolefully. 'If my cold isn't better to-morrow and I can't go out, I don't know what to do all day.' Lady Melicent considered. 'I'll tell you what, Flossie,' she said. 'You might make some bead-mats. That would amuse you. I have some very pretty beads in the green casket that stands on the old cabinet in the passage--at least I think they're there. I'll see to-morrow.' Flossie jumped with pleasure. 'Oh, that would be nice, granny. Can't you look for them to-night? I might make a mat for mamma's birthday. Mayn't I go and look for them?' 'No, dear. The passage is cold, and besides that, the cabinet is too high for you to reach up to. You might pull over some of the heavy ornaments and hurt yourself. Wait till to-morrow, and I will find the beads for you. I won't forget.' Flossie was sitting reading in the boudoir the next morning, when Lady Melicent came in with two or three little cardboard boxes in her hand. She looked at the child. 'Flossie,' she said quietly, 'here are the beads. I found them up-stairs in my work-box. They were not in the green casket.' 'Thank you, grandmamma,' said Flossie. But she scarcely looked up.