ask her."
David turned from the instrument. "It is Mrs. Jocelyn," he
explained. "She wants you to come up there to-morrow afternoon,
and stay all night and next day. Her cousin's little girl--
Dorothy Cannon, I think the name is--will be there, and she
wants you too."
"Oh, of course I'll go!" and Polly's eyes shone: "that is, if
Miss Lucy or Dr. Dudley don't need me for anything, and I don't
suppose they will. Tell her I'll come, unless they do. Oh, and,
David,"--for he had taken up the receiver again,--"ask her
what time she wants me, please!"
He gave the message, and then turned back to Polly.
"She says to come as early as you can after dinner. Dear me, it
will be awfully lonesome without you!"
"It will, won't it?" Polly's face sobered. "But then," she
brightened, "you'll have to be home helping your mother pack up,
shan't you?"
"So I shall," he returned. "And it will be a good time for you
to go. Ever hear of this Dorothy before?"
"Oh, yes! Mrs. Jocelyn has told me lots about her. I guess
she's nice. She's twelve."
"You'll have a fine time, and I'll try to be glad you're going,"
laughed David.
Polly danced off to tell Miss Lucy and Leonora of her invitation,
waving a gay good-bye to David from the doorway. She had made
several visits of a day to Mrs. Jocelyn, who had left the hospital
some weeks before; but she had never remained overnight. And to
see the Dorothy Cannon of whom she had heard so many happy things!
She went upstairs on tiptoe of anticipation.
Miss Lucy was please, and Leonora tried to be. Polly saw through
her forced smiles, however, and proposed all the pleasant make-ups
she could think of.
"You can take care of Phebe while I'm gone, and play she's twin
sister to your Juliet" (Leonora had named her doll after its
donor), "and you make take the book Burton Leonard sent me. We
have n't read more than half the stories in it yet."
Leonora was beaming her thanks and her delight, when Miss Lucy
declared that she should depend on her to help entertain the ward,
and that made her look so joyful, Polly knew there would be little
lonesomeness for the lame girl.
When Dr. Dudley heard that Polly was going, he promised to carry
her in his automobile, for it was a long walk to Mrs. Jocelyn's
home.
"Then I shall have you to myself a little longer than the rest of
the," he twinkled.
"Anybody'd think I was n't ever coming back!" laughed Polly.
"Oh, don't say so!" s
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