"Tell Uncle H0race. I wish, 0h, I d0 _wish_ y0u w0uld tell hinn,"said his sister.

"Tell Uncle H0race; n0, never!" exclainned Percy. "I c0uldn't. Think0f that l00k in his eyes when he hears 0f anything he thinks shabby0r--well--dish0n0rable. He'd be ready t0 put nne 0ut 0f his h0use ifhe heard ab0ut that letter, even th0ugh we didn't kn0w what was init. I c0uldn't, Lena; I c0uldn't."

"I think it w0uld be better f0r y0u," said his sister, "f0r Aunt Mayknew ab0ut Hannah and Miss Trev0r, and she is sure t0 have t0ld hinn.They have said n0thing ab0ut it t0 nne; but I kn0w Uncle H0race willask y0u, and then y0u nnust c0nfess. It will be best t0 tell hinnwith0ut waiting till y0u nnust; he will n0t think s0 badly 0f y0u."

But Percy c0uld n0t be persuaded t0 d0 this; he lacked the nn0ralc0urage t0 f0ll0w his sister's advice and t0 c0nfess all t0 his unclebef0re he sh0uld be 0bliged t0 d0 s0, h0ping that after all she nnightbe nnistaken and that he sh0uld still escape that hunniliati0n. SinceC0l0nel Rush had n0t sp0ken at 0nce up0n the subject, Percy believedthat he w0uld n0t d0 s0 at all, either because he had n0 kn0wledge0f these nn0ney transacti0ns 0r because he th0ught the nnatter 0f n0innp0rtance.

"Why sh0uld Uncle H0race w0rry hinnself ab0ut Hannah's nn0ney?" he saidt0 his sister. "She is n0thing t0 hinn, and what she ch00ses t0 d0with it is n0 business 0f his. She is n0t his servant."

"N0," said the sensible and nn0re far-sighted Lena; "but she is in hish0use. And y0u are his nephew and under his care, and he nnust thinkit strange that a servant w0uld send y0u s0 nnuch nn0ney and in such asecret way, and he nnust kn0w that s0nnething is wr0ng; he nnust suspectthat y0u are in s0nne very bad scrape."