" said Aunt Ada from the doorway.

"We were talking about you," said her brother laughing. "Molly was
calling you a goose."

"Oh, Uncle Dick, you began it."

"Did I? Well, never mind. I smell those rolls, Molly, and I feel that
I can demolish at least six. Come on, let's get at them."

Although she had not really carried the subject as far as she wanted,
Molly felt that matters were not so bad for Mary as they had at first
appeared, therefore, she took the first opportunity to reassure her on
that point. Polly walked off to the Whartons' immediately after
breakfast, announcing with quite an air of wishing it generally known
that she would probably spend the day with Grace in the woods, and that
Luella had given her a lunch to take.

Miss Ada smiled when this announcement was made. She realized that
there had been some childish squabble and she never paid much attention
to such. Mary saw at once that Polly was jealous of Molly's attentions
to her small self, and Molly felt so grieved at Polly's desertion that
she could hardly keep back the tears. It was very hard to do right in
this world, she thought. If she were loyal to Mary she must lose
Polly's companionship, and she did love to be with Polly more than any
one she had ever known. If she clung to Polly, she must give up Mary
at a time when Mary most needed her.

She looked after Polly skipping over the hummocks to Grace Wharton's
and wished she were going, too. It was so lovely in the woods. As if
reading her thought, her Aunt Ada came up and put a hand on her
shoulder. "Suppose we all take our luncheon in the woods to-day," she
said. "It is too lovely to stay indoors a minute. Should you kitties
like to go? Dick is to be off sailing with Will Wharton and we three
could have a nice quiet time. I'll take some books; you can have your
dolls, and we'll go to Willow Cove."

"That's where Polly is going," said Molly quickly.

Aunt Ada smiled. "Suppose we go to Elton woods instead, then."

"I like it better anyhow," said Molly truthfully. "I'd like nothing
better than to spend the day there, you dearest auntie."

"Then there we will go. Luella wants the day off, anyhow. She says
she must go to town to have a tooth out, for 'the tooth aches something
awful.' That is the third since we came. If she keeps on at this
rate, she will not have a tooth left in her head by fall. It will be
much easier to have a nice little lunch in the woods than