"Ugh. I won't tell. Cross my heart, Bernadette, I won't say a word to my father or anybody else. I like you, honest. You're the nicest maid we've ever had. I'd cry if you left."

"You darling. And you're the nicest little girl. There now, that's settled. Only you must learn to knock, my dear. I can't understand why you didn't."

"Well, uh, I thought you were… uh…"

"You thought I was spending the night with my cousin, hmm? I changed my mind. Good thing I did, too. Now I know who's been snooping in my room. So you thought I was out, that's why you didn't bother to knock. But if that's so, what did you come for? To poke around in my dresser drawers? To learn some secrets that were never meant for children? Secrets that even a lot of grownups would find shocking? Hmph! I won't be spied on, you hear?"

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. Don't scold me any more, I'll be a good girl from now on, I promise."

"Of course you will, you always are, darling. Even when you're naughty sometimes, you're still my good little girl."

"Oh. Then you're not mad? Bernadette?"

"Silly. How could I be mad at my little angel?"

"But-but the way you just scolded me…"

"Hmm. I was rather harsh. Well then, there's only one thing to do now, and that's to even the score. It's your turn to be harsh to me, I guess. How does that sound?"

"I-I don't understand."

"A bit complicated, is it? Listen. You were naughty and I scolded you, that was your punishment. But I was naughty, too – when you first came in, remember? Playing with myself like that, standing in front of the mirror, and with this red light on; don't you think that was naughty? Not terribly naughty, but enough so that I ought to be punished. So it's only fair that you punish me for my naughtiness, wouldn't you say so, Missy?"

"You-you mean I should scold you?"

"No, dear, I'm afraid that wouldn't work, you're a little too young to give me a proper scolding. But if you think you're big enough to give me a proper spanking…"