seeing the open
door and realizing that her words had been heard, gave a low little moan
and--for the first time in her life--fainted dead away.

The nurse, with a choking "She heard!" stumbled toward the open door.
The two doctors stayed with Miss Polly. Dr. Mead had to stay--he had
caught Miss Polly as she fell. Dr. Warren stood by, helplessly. It was
not until Pollyanna cried out again sharply and the nurse closed the
door, that the two men, with a despairing glance into each other's eyes,
awoke to the immediate duty of bringing the woman in Dr. Mead's arms
back to unhappy consciousness.

In Pollyanna's room, the nurse had found a purring gray cat on the
bed vainly trying to attract the attention of a white-faced, wild-eyed
little girl.

"Miss Hunt, please, I want Aunt Polly. I want her right away, quick,
please!"

The nurse closed the door and came forward hurriedly. Her face was very
pale.

"She--she can't come just this minute, dear. She will--a little later.
What is it? Can't I--get it?"

Pollyanna shook her head.

"But I want to know what she said--just now. Did you hear her? I
want Aunt Polly--she said something. I want her to tell me 'tisn't
true--'tisn't true!"

The nurse tried to speak, but no words came. Something in her face sent
an added terror to Pollyanna's eyes.

"Miss Hunt, you DID hear her! It is true! Oh, it isn't true! You don't
mean I can't ever--walk again?"

"There, there, dear--don't, don't!" choked the nurse. "Perhaps he didn't
know. Perhaps he was mistaken. There's lots of things that could happen,
you know."

"But Aunt Polly said he did know! She said he knew more than anybody
else about--about broken legs like mine!"

"Yes, yes, I know, dear; but all doctors make mistakes sometimes.
Just--just don't think any more about it now--please don't, dear."

Pollyanna flung out her arms wildly. "But I can't help thinking about
it," she sobbed. "It's all there is now to think about. Why, Miss Hunt,
how am I going to school, or to see Mr. Pendleton, or Mrs. Snow, or--or
anybody?" She caught her breath and sobbed wildly for a moment. Suddenly
she stopped and looked up, a new terror in her eyes. "Why, Miss Hunt, if
I can't walk, how am I ever going to be glad for--ANYTHING?"

Miss Hunt did not know "the game;" but she did know that her patient
must be quieted, and that at once. In spite of her own perturbation and
heartache, her hands had not been idle, and she stood now at the bedsi