the
little girl from the room and panting up-stairs after her.

"Oh, did you come up here?" Pollyanna greeted her at the door of Miss
Polly's own room. "That'll be nicer yet! I've got the comb. Now sit
down, please, right here. Oh, I'm so glad you let me do it!"

"But, Pollyanna, I--I--"

Miss Polly did not finish her sentence. To her helpless amazement she
found herself in the low chair before the dressing table, with her
hair already tumbling about her ears under ten eager, but very gentle
fingers.

"Oh, my! what pretty hair you've got," prattled Pollyanna; "and there's
so much more of it than Mrs. Snow has, too! But, of course, you need
more, anyhow, because you're well and can go to places where folks
can see it. My! I reckon folks'll be glad when they do see it--and
surprised, too, 'cause you've hid it so long. Why, Aunt Polly, I'll make
you so pretty everybody'll just love to look at you!"

"Pollyanna!" gasped a stifled but shocked voice from a veil of hair.
"I--I'm sure I don't know why I'm letting you do this silly thing."

"Why, Aunt Polly, I should think you'd be glad to have folks like to
look at you! Don't you like to look at pretty things? I'm ever so much
happier when I look at pretty folks, 'cause when I look at the other
kind I'm so sorry for them."

"But--but--"

"And I just love to do folks' hair," purred Pollyanna, contentedly. "I
did quite a lot of the Ladies' Aiders'--but there wasn't any of them so
nice as yours. Mrs. White's was pretty nice, though, and she looked
just lovely one day when I dressed her up in--Oh, Aunt Polly, I've just
happened to think of something! But it's a secret, and I sha'n't tell.
Now your hair is almost done, and pretty quick I'm going to leave you
just a minute; and you must promise--promise--PROMISE not to stir nor
peek, even, till I come back. Now remember!" she finished, as she ran
from the room.

Aloud Miss Polly said nothing. To herself she said that of course she
should at once undo the absurd work of her niece's fingers, and put her
hair up properly again. As for "peeking" just as if she cared how--

At that moment--unaccountably--Miss Polly caught a glimpse of herself in
the mirror of the dressing table. And what she saw sent such a flush of
rosy color to her cheeks that--she only flushed the more at the sight.

She saw a face--not young, it is true--but just now alight with
excitement and surprise. The cheeks were a pretty pink. The eyes
sparkled.