in trouble with
Mandy.

"It's 'bout de circus," Hasty informed her bluntly.

"The circus?" She rose and crossed to him quickly.

"It's in Wakefield--en' nex' month it's a-comin' here."

"Here?" Polly gasped.

"I thought you'd want ter know," said Hasty, little surprised at her
lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes, of course." She turned away and pretended to look at the flowers.

"Don' yous tell Mandy I been talkin' 'bout dat circus," said Hasty,
uneasily. He was beginning to fear that he had made a mistake; but
before Polly could answer, Mandy came out of the house, carrying baskets
and food, which Hasty was to take to the Sunday-school-room. She looked
at the girl's troubled face and drooping shoulders in surprise.

"What make you look so serious, Honey?"

"Just thinking," said Polly absently.

"My! Don' you look fine in your new dress!" She was anxious to draw the
girl out of her reverie.

"Do you like it?" Polly asked eagerly, forgetting her depression of a
moment before. "Do you think Mr. John will like it?"

"Masse John? Mercy me! He nebber takes no notice ob dem things. I done
got a bran', spankin' new allapaca, one time, an' do you think HE ebber
seed it? Lawsy, no! We might jes' well be goin' roun' like Mudder Eve
for all dat man know." Polly looked disappointed. "But udder folks
sees," Mandy continued, comfortingly, "an' you certainly look mighty
fine. Why, you's just as good now as you was afore you got hurled!"

"Yes, I'm well now and able to work again." There was no enthusiasm in
her tone, for Hasty's news had made her realise how unwelcome the old
life would be to her.

"Work! You does work all de time. My stars! de help you is to Massa
John."

"Do you think so? Do I help him?--Do I?"

"Of course you does. You tells him things to do in Sunday-school what
the chillun like, an' you learns him to laugh and 'joy himself, an' a
lot of things what nobody else could a-learned 'im."

"You mustn't say 'learned him,'" Polly corrected; "you must say 'taught
him.' You can't 'learn' anybody anything. You can only 'teach' them."

"Lordy sakes! I didn't know dat." She rolled her large eyes at her young
instructress, and saw that Polly looked very serious. "She's gwine ter
have anudder one a dem 'ticlar spells" thought Mandy, and she made ready
to protest.

"See here, ain't you nebber----"

She was interrupted by a quick "Have you never" from Polly.

"It dun make no difference what you say," Mandy snapped