"It is just as you told me, ma'am," he remarked, softly, at the same
time shaking his head, as though he could not bring himself to believe
it was as bad as the old lady suspected; that there must be some other
and reasonable explanation for the vanishing of the spoons; surely Owen
Dugdale could not be guilty of such a base theft!

"What can I believe, Hugh?" she almost wailed. "I do not walk in my
sleep, and that colored girl is as honest as your own mother, I feel
positive. Please tell me you will try and find out the answer to this
distressing puzzle."

"I can easily promise you that I will at least do my level best to
learn where your property went, Mrs. Pangborn; and if possible recover
it for you," he hastened to assure her.

"Thank you very much, my son. As soon as I saw you I seemed to feel an
inspiration that Providence had sent you to me in my distress. For it
would break my heart if I were compelled to have that poor, weak boy
arrested, and charged with so grievous a breach of the law. You being
a boy may be able to have a certain amount of influence over him. You
may even induce him to own up to his act, and send me back my precious
spoons. The ones taken by some accident are the very ones I value
most."

"While I give you my promise willingly enough, ma'am," Hugh went on to
say deliberately, "I want to add that I can't believe it possible Owen
Dugdale could be so small and mean as to yield to an impulse, and take
anything that belonged to another."