"Come up quick!--you and your father. Bring lanterns. Somebody is on
the roof of the sun parlor. He must have climbed up the rose-trellis
or somewhere, and of course he can get right into the house through the
east window in the attic. I have locked the attic door down here--but
hurry, quick!"

Some time later, Pollyanna, just dropping off to sleep, was startled by
a lantern flash, and a trio of amazed ejaculations. She opened her eyes
to find Timothy at the top of a ladder near her, Old Tom just getting
through the window, and her aunt peering out at her from behind him.

"Pollyanna, what does this mean?" cried Aunt Polly then.

Pollyanna blinked sleepy eyes and sat up.

"Why, Mr. Tom--Aunt Polly!" she stammered. "Don't look so scared! It
isn't that I've got the consumption, you know, like Joel Hartley. It's
only that I was so hot--in there. But I shut the window, Aunt Polly, so
the flies couldn't carry those germ-things in."

Timothy disappeared suddenly down the ladder. Old Tom, with almost equal
precipitation, handed his lantern to Miss Polly, and followed his son.
Miss Polly bit her lip hard--until the men were gone; then she said
sternly:

"Pollyanna, hand those things to me at once and come in here. Of all
the extraordinary children!" she ejaculated a little later, as, with
Pollyanna by her side, and the lantern in her hand, she turned back into
the attic.

To Pollyanna the air was all the more stifling after that cool breath
of the out of doors; but she did not complain. She only drew a long
quivering sigh.

At the top of the stairs Miss Polly jerked out crisply:

"For the rest of the night, Pollyanna, you are to sleep in my bed with
me. The screens will be here to-morrow, but until then I consider it my
duty to keep you where I know where you are."

Pollyanna drew in her breath.

"With you?--in your bed?" she cried rapturously. "Oh, Aunt Polly, Aunt
Polly, how perfectly lovely of you! And when I've so wanted to sleep
with some one sometime--some one that belonged to me, you know; not a
Ladies' Aider. I've HAD them. My! I reckon I am glad now those screens
didn't come! Wouldn't you be?"

There was no reply. Miss Polly was stalking on ahead. Miss Polly, to
tell the truth, was feeling curiously helpless. For the third time since
Pollyanna's arrival, Miss Polly was punishing Pollyanna--and for the
third time she was being confronted with the amazing fact that her
punishment was being taken as a speci