her dinner. But
a tiny sense of guilt at having left "Joshua and Jacob" so abruptly
made her very attentive to Aunt Sabrina's long story of how the blue
china was first brought to Happy House.

Scarcely had Miss Sabrina's door closed upon her for her hour of rest,
however, than Nancy flew to her own room. She gathered up her precious
paper and pencils, a knife and a worn manuscript case, a few favorite
books and a tattered dictionary, and started out on tip-toe through the
hall toward the stairs. But, though her step was light, its sound
caught a certain patient ear nearby.

"Nancy! Oh, Nancy!"

Nancy remembered, then, remorsefully, that not once that day had she
run in to see poor little Aunt Milly. With her treasures in her arms
she went straight to her. In the smile that greeted her from the couch
by the window, there was not one sign to indicate that Aunt Milly had
been waiting the whole long morning for her to come.

"I've been so busy," explained Nancy, dropping her load. "I have a
mind to tell you, Aunt Milly. I meant it to be a secret, only Jonathan
knows, because he had to help me. And I'd like _you_ to know, too.
Anyway, a secret's more fun when more of us know it! You see, I'd
gotten as far as Jacob in my lessons on Leavitts, and then Aunt Sabrina
couldn't remember whether it was he or his brother that was killed in
the war of 1812, and B'lindy rudely interrupted just because she had no
corn starch! Oh, Aunt Milly, I'm dreadful, but I couldn't have stood
it another _minute_--I could have hugged B'lindy and her pudding! Why,
I've sat for three days straight in a horrible stiff chair listening to
musty, dusty tales, and I wanted to scream! So I said _I'd_ find
Jonathan and I bolted--and I _stayed_ away! And out in the orchard,
right close to the bank, the grandest idea came to me. To fix a nest!
And Jonathan helped me. We made a little box, all waterproof, and
nailed it to the tree to keep my things in--these," indicating the pile
at her feet. "And I'm going to hide there--and work! And that's
another secret. I'm writing a play! I wrote two in college and the
English professor said they were unusual and the Senior class gave one.
And I have a _real_ one, almost done. _Now_ you know the secret."

"Oh, _Nancy_!" said Aunt Milly softly, two bright spots of color on her
cheeks.

"You see I can steal out there and sit on that comfy branch and think
I'm all alone in the world. Such beaut