ease," cried Polly radiantly; "and do put some heliotrope
in, for Cathie is so fond of that. And please let her have a bunch every
morning when I have mine, Turner, for she is to stay three days."

"It shall be as you wish, Miss Mary," said Turner, quite delighted at
the order.

"And please let it be very nice, Turner," said Polly hastily.

"I will, Miss; don't fear, Miss Mary, I'll have it as nice as possible,"
as Polly ran off to meet Cathie.

"I should stay here every single minute I was at home if I lived here,
Polly Pepper," declared Cathie. "Oh, oh!" sniffing at each discovery of
a new blossom.

"Oh, no, you wouldn't, Cathie," contradicted Polly, with a laugh; "not
if you had to get your lessons, and practise on the piano, and go out
riding and driving, and play with the boys."

"Oh dear me!" cried Cathie, "I don't care very much for boys, because,
you see, Polly, I never know what in this world to say to them."

"That's because you never had any brothers," said Polly, feeling how
very dreadful such a state must be. "I can't imagine anything without
Ben and Joel and Davie."

"And now you've such a lot of brothers, with Jasper and all those
Whitney boys; oh, Polly, don't they scare you to death sometimes?"

Polly burst into such a merry peal of laughter, that they neither of
them heard the rushing feet, until Cathie glanced up. "Oh dear me! there
they are now!"

"Well, to be sure; we might have known you were here, Polly," cried
Jasper, dashing up with Clare. "How do you do, Cathie?" putting out his
hand cordially.

Clare gave her a careless nod, then turned to Polly. "It's to be fine,"
he said.

"What?" asked Polly wonderingly.

"Hold on, old chap." Jasper gave him a clap on the back. "Father is
going to tell her himself. Come on, Polly and Cathie, to his room."

"Come, Cathie," cried Polly. "Let's beat those boys," she said, when
once out of the greenhouse. "We're going to race," she cried over her
shoulder.

"Is that so?" said Jasper. "Clare, we must beat them," and they dashed
in pursuit.

But they couldn't; the two girls flew over the lawn, and reached the
stone steps just a breathing space before Jasper and Clare plunged up.

"Well done," cried Jasper, tossing back the hair from his forehead.

"I didn't know you could run so well," observed Clare, with some show
of interest in Cathie.

"Oh, she runs splendidly," said Polly, with sparkling eyes. "Let's try a
race sometime, Jasper; we f