you glad you came to my house visiting?"

Milly was very glad to-day; she had not been glad yesterday, when they
had the trouble about their dolls.

The first house was General Townsend's; and when Mrs. Townsend came to
the door, Milly hid behind a lilac-bush; but Flaxie, who was never
afraid of anybody, looked up with her laughing blue eyes, and said,
without stopping for 'How d'ye do?'--

"Oh, Mrs. Townsend, I'm goin' to have a party six years old, and mayn't
Fanny come? Auntie Prim says for the children to come early,--at ha'
pas' two,--and she'll be _thankful_ when it's over."

Mrs. Townsend could not possibly help smiling at this remarkable speech,
but she replied that Fanny might go.

"Now, Flaxie Frizzle," said Mabel, as the door closed, "you oughtn't to
say your auntie'll be 'thankful'; it isn't polite."

"Yes it is. I guess Auntie Prim knows; she knows everything. But 'fore
I'd run and hide!" retorted Flaxie.

There wasn't any lilac-bush at the next house, and Milly had to stand on
the door-stone and hide under her hat.

It was surprising how fast Flaxie said it over: "I'm goin' to have a
party six years old," &c., without skipping a word; and though Milly had
her doubts about the politeness of Mrs. Prim's being so "thankful," she
did think Flaxie Frizzle was a wonderful girl; and indeed Flaxie thought
so too.

"What, back so soon?" said Auntie Prim, who had scarcely missed the
children before they appeared again at the pantry-door, rosy with
running.

"Yes um; I've invited 'em all up."

Flaxie said "I" with quite an air.

"Possible? I wonder if you did it correctly. What did you say?"

"I said," replied Miss Frizzle, proud to have made no mistakes this
time, "I said, 'I'm goin' to have a party six years old, and Auntie Prim
says for the children to come early,--at ha' pas' two,--and she'll be
_thankful_ when it's over.'"

"You didn't!" cried auntie, the color flying into her pale face, and her
spectacles shining like diamonds.

"Well, I never!" said Dora, and sat right down by the oven-door to
laugh. "But they do say, children and fools always speak the truth!"

Mrs. Prim resolved to keep calm, but this was very trying.

"Mary Gray," said she, pressing her hands together quite sticky with
dough, "I didn't mean you to repeat the last part of that speech; I
didn't even know you had heard it. It does seem to me you are old enough
to have a _little_ sense of propriety. What can those ladies t