“Aw, what a kid!” sniffed Johnny Ryan.

“The horrid boy!” worried Mabel Camp.  “What if they don’t ever find it!”

“Where’s yer hair ribbon?” asked Frederica, feeling responsible for the safety of that bit of dainty blue, since she had aided in its first use.

Again Polly stood in defense.

“My cousin Maude wore it to school, and she had n’t come home when I left.”

“What made yer let her?” mourned Frederica.  “Bet yer I would n’t!”

“Come, Polly, and change your dress,” interposed Miss Lucy, guessing somewhat of the truth from the little girl’s reddening cheeks and hesitating voice.

In the dressing-room, behind the closed door, the nurse took Polly in her arms.

“It is so good to have you back again,” she told her, with kisses for emphasis.

The words stabbed the child’s heart.  The time was to be so short!  Still Polly would not spoil to-day with to-morrow’s nor next day’s troubles, and she summoned brave smiles and gay responses, until she half forgot the dreary fourth-floor flat where she had passed the night.

Leonora caught an early chance to draw Polly away to a corner where they could talk—­or where she could, for she was bubbling with excitement over the untold story of last night’s doings.

“My!  I thought we’d go crazy when Mrs. Jocelyn telephoned to know why you did n’t come!  There you’d had time to get to her house over ‘n’ over again!  Dr. Dudley just left ev’rything and went off in his auto, and hunted and hunted, and you was n’t anywhere!  The he told the police, and they went to lookin’!”

“The police!” repeated Polly, big-eyed with astonishment.

“Yes; but they could n’t find you.  Miss Lucy ’most cried, and Dr. Dudley looked so sober I did n’t dare speak to him.  OH, it was awful!  We was sure you’d been kid—­” Leonora hesitated, as before.

“Kidnaped,” prompted Polly.

“Oh, yes, kidnapped!  I never can remember how it goes.  Well, David said he knew you had been, and Miss Lucy kep’ saying, ’Oh, no! it can’t be!’ But she looked as if she’d sink when she said it.”

“And what was it about Colonel Gresham?” Polly asked.  “You said —­”

“Yes,” Leonora hurried on, “I’m comin’ to it!  We never any of us thought of your Aunt Jane, till Colonel Gresham he said had n’t you gone to see her.  Dr. Dudley told him of course you wouln n’t, when you’ started for Mrs. Jocelyn’s, and the Colonel he said he should try her anyway.  So Dr. Dudley jumped right into his auto and raced off to where you aunt used to live.  When she was n’t there, and the folks did n’t know where she’d gone, and her name was n’t in the directory at any new place, he did n’t know what to do!”

“She’s married Mr. Bean,” Poly put in, “so she’d Mrs. Bean now.”

“Oh, maybe that’s why he could n’t find her!  Well, he come home, and he and Miss Lucy talked and talked, and High Price she talked, too, and—­”