“Oh, I’m just a little tired—­that’s all!” smiled Polly.  “You are ever so good!  I wanted to go up to the hospital, and tell them where I am—­they don’t know, and I’m afraid they’ll worry!  But I guess I can’t to-night,” she ended sadly.

“Why, I can run up there for yer, jus’ ’s well ’s not,” he nodded.

“Oh!  Will you?” she brightened.  “I’ll be so glad!  But won’t it be too much trouble?”

“Not a bit!” he returned glibly.  Then his pinched face shaded.  “If I can git back before she comes down,” he hesitated, wavering between kindness and fear.  “I guess I can,” he decided, and put on this hat.

“If Dr. Dudley is n’t there,” Polly told him, “please ask for Miss Lucy Price.  She’ll do just as well.  She’s the nurse in our ward.”

“I’ll do it up all straight,” he exulted, stepping briskly with the importance of his errand.  But as his hand touched the knob, another’s was before it.  His wife opened the door.

“Where you goin’, ’Rastus Bean?” she demanded.

“I—­I was just goin’ out for a little walk,” he faltered.

“A walk!” she snapped.  “If you’ve got your chores done, you’d better walk into bed!”

Without a word he disappeared in an adjoining room, while his wife lifted the stove cover, to see if his tasks had been faithfully performed.

Polly’s forlorn hope vanished with the little man; but no tears came until she was on her pillow, shut from all eyes.  Then they gushed forth in a flood.

Chapter XIII

The Return

Polly was awakened early by clashing talk.  The girls, whose room she shared, were in a wrangle over her pretty, blue hair ribbon.

Sophia had spied it first, and was slyly using it for her own straight locks, when Maude had snatched it away, and a hubbub followed.

The owner of it did not interfere, but began to dress, as if she had no interest in the cause of the quarrel.

“She’s more stuck-up ’n she used to be!” Polly overheard Maude sneer, as she hurried away in response to her aunt’s call.

Mr. Bean wass already eating breakfast, and he greeted the little girl pleasantly, though keeping watch of his wife, who was frying cakes.

“Here!  Give these to you uncle,” Polly was bidden; whereupon the little man began such attempts at kindliness as to draw out a contemptuous, “Huh!” from over the griddle.  After that he fastened his eyes on his plate, and ate in silence.

By the time the elder children were off for school, and the younger had departed to a neighboring tenement, Polly’s early tasks were completed, and she sat down again to the button-sewing.

The little kitchen was very still, and Polly’s thoughts sped back to the big house on the hill.  She wondered how long it would be before she should see Dr. Dudley and Miss Lucy.  Were they worrying about her and trying to find her?  She could only guess.