"What will mamma say?" was her first thought. "Oh, I'm afraid she will be
so vexed with me that she'll never love me any more!" And the tears came
thick and fast, for mamma's love was very sweet to the little feeble
child, who had been so long without a mother's care and tenderness.
Then arose the wish to hide her fault. Oh, if she could only replace the
bottle! but that was quite impossible. Perhaps, though, there might be a
way found to conceal the fact that she was the author of the mishap; she
did not want to have any one else blamed for her fault, but she would like
not to be suspected of it herself.
A bright thought struck her. She had seen the cat jump on that bureau a
few days before and walk back and forth over it. If she (pussy) had been
left in the room alone there that afternoon she might have done the same
thing again, and knocked the bottle off upon the floor.
It would be no great harm, the little girl reasoned, trying to stifle the
warnings and reproaches of conscience, if she should let pussy take the
blame.
Mamma was kind, and wouldn't have pussy beaten, and pussy's feelings
wouldn't be hurt, either, by the suspicion.
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