d, who bowed elaborately, and called
her "Mademoiselle Pep-paire;" but he had music in his soul, and Polly
couldn't reverence him too much.

And now the big piano gave out new sounds; sounds that told of a strong
purpose and steady patience. Every note was struck for mother and the
home brood. Monsieur Tourtelotte, after watching her keenly out of his
little black eyes, would nod to himself like a mandarin, and the nod
would be followed by showers of extra politeness, as his appreciation of
her patient energy and attention.

Every chance she could get, Polly would steal away into the drawing-room
from Jappy and the three boys and all the attractions they could offer,
and laboriously work away over and over at the tedious scales and
exercises that were to be stepping-stones to so much that was glorious
beyond. Never had she sat still for so long a time in her active little
life; and now, with her arms at just such an angle, with the stiff,
chubby fingers kept under training and restraint--well, Polly realized,
years after, that only her love of the little brown house could ever
have kept her from flying up and spinning around in perfect despair.

"She likes it!" said Percy, in absolute astonishment, one day, when
Polly had refused to go out driving with all the other children in the
park, and had gone resolutely, instead, into the drawing-room and shut
the door. "She likes those hateful old exercises and she don't like
anything else."

"Much you know about it," said Jappy; "she's perfectly aching to go, now
Percy Whitney!"

"Well, why don't she then?" said Percy, opening his eyes to their widest
extent.

"Cause," said Jasper, stopping on his way to the door to look him full
in the face, "she's commenced to learn to play, and there won't anything
stop her."

"I'm going to try," said Percy, gleefully. "I know lots of ways I can do
to try, anyway."

"See here, now," said Jasper, turning back, "you let her alone! Do
you hear?" he added, and there must have been something in his eye to
command attention, for Percy instantly signified his intention not to
tease this young music student in the least.

"Come on then, old fellow," and Jasper swung his cap on his head,
"Thomas will be like forty bears if we keep him waiting much longer."

And Polly kept at it steadily day after day; getting through with the
lessons in the schoolroom as quickly as possible to rush to her music,
until presently the little Frenchman waxe