mother's
real sister. We scarcely know her at all, and she scarcely knows us. We
don't like her, and we are sure she doesn't like us. Why should she
spoil our lives, and prevent our helping you? For it would help you to
have the strangers here, wouldn't it, father?"

"By and by it would," answered the Doctor. "By and by it would help me
much."

Again the troubled expression came to his face and the dimness was
perceptible in his eyes.

"You will let us try it, father," said Helen. "We can but fail; girls as
young as us have done as much before. I am sure girls as young as we are
have done harder things before, so why should not we try?"

"I am a foolish old man," said the Doctor. "I suppose I shall be blamed
for this, not that it greatly matters. Well, children, let it be as you
wish. I will go and meet the boy and girl in London, and bring them to
the Hollow. We can have them for a month, and if we fail, children,"
added the Doctor, a twinkle of amusement overspreading his face, "we
won't tell any one but ourselves. It is quite possible that in the
future we shall be comparatively poor if we cannot manage to make that
boy and girl from Australia comfortable and happy; but Polly there has
taught us how to economize, for we can always fall back on potatoes and
point."

"Oh--oh--oh, father," came from Polly's lips.

"That is unkind, dear father," said Helen.

But they both hung about his neck and kissed him, and when Dr. Maybright
drove away that afternoon on his usual round of visits, his heart felt
comparatively light, and he owned to himself that those girls of his,
with all their eccentricities, were a great comfort to him.

CHAPTER XIII.

IN THE ATTIC.

There is no saying how Polly's week of housekeeping might have ended,
nor how substantial her castle in the air might have grown, had not a
catastrophe occurred to her of a double and complex nature.

The first day during which Polly and Maggie, between them, catered for
and cooked the family meals, produced a plain diet in the shape of cold
bacon for breakfast, and a dinner of potatoes, minus "point." But on the
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of that week Maggie quite redeemed her
character of being a Flooder, and worked under Polly with such goodwill
that, as she herself expressed it, her small brains began to grow.
Fortunately, Mrs. Ricketts, Maggie's mother, was not obliged to meet her
rent every day of the week, therefore no more of Polly'