"Yes, Miss. I'm Old Tom, the gardener," he answered. Timidly, but as if
impelled by an irresistible force, he reached out a shaking hand and let
it rest for a moment on her bright hair. "You are so like your mother,
little Miss! I used ter know her when she was even littler than you be.
You see, I used ter work in the garden--then."

Pollyanna caught her breath audibly.

"You did? And you knew my mother, really--when she was just a little
earth angel, and not a Heaven one? Oh, please tell me about her!" And
down plumped Pollyanna in the middle of the dirt path by the old man's
side.

A bell sounded from the house. The next moment Nancy was seen flying out
the back door.

"Miss Pollyanna, that bell means breakfast--mornin's," she panted,
pulling the little girl to her feet and hurrying her back to the house;
"and other times it means other meals. But it always means that
you're ter run like time when ye hear it, no matter where ye be. If ye
don't--well, it'll take somethin' smarter'n we be ter find ANYTHIN' ter
be glad about in that!" she finished, shooing Pollyanna into the house
as she would shoo an unruly chicken into a coop.

Breakfast, for the first five minutes, was a silent meal; then Miss
Polly, her disapproving eyes following the airy wings of two flies
darting here and there over the table, said sternly:

"Nancy, where did those flies come from?"

"I don't know, ma'am. There wasn't one in the kitchen." Nancy had been
too excited to notice Pollyanna's up-flung windows the afternoon before.

"I reckon maybe they're my flies, Aunt Polly," observed Pollyanna,
amiably. "There were lots of them this morning having a beautiful time
upstairs."

Nancy left the room precipitately, though to do so she had to carry out
the hot muffins she had just brought in.

"Yours!" gasped Miss Polly. "What do you mean? Where did they come
from?"

"Why, Aunt Polly, they came from out of doors of course, through the
windows. I SAW some of them come in."

"You saw them! You mean you raised those windows without any screens?"

"Why, yes. There weren't any screens there, Aunt Polly."

Nancy, at this moment, came in again with the muffins. Her face was
grave, but very red.

"Nancy," directed her mistress, sharply, "you may set the muffins down
and go at once to Miss Pollyanna's room and shut the windows. Shut the
doors, also. Later, when your morning work is done, go through every
room with the spatter. See that you make