“Fun?” said Lena, “we’ll do every fine thing we can think of.  I’ll tell Rob, and he’ll help us make it jolly.  He always does, and he likes Rose as well as we do.”

“And who’s Lester Jenks?” Lena asked, “is he the poetry girl’s brother?”

“Oh, no, he’s her cousin, and he’s full of fun, and fine to play with,” said Polly, “and he thinks Evangeline is pokey, and he laughs at her poetry.  I didn’t laugh at it, and I don’t think he was nice to.  I told him so, and he only laughed harder.”

“He told Rose to tell me that he’s going to send me a Valentine this year, and he says he’s found a new place to get ice cream just a little way from where Rose lives.  He says when I’m at her house the next time, he’ll buy ice cream almost every day.”

“Isn’t he generous?  And he says:  ’Tell Princess Polly to hurry up and come,’ and Rose says she can hardly wait ’til she sees me.”

“Oh, Polly!” cried Lena, as a happy thought occurred to her, “if she’s to be here when school has commenced, you can bring her to school.  Teacher’ll let us have guests.

“I’m glad you read the letter to me, because it makes it seem as if Rose was right here.”

“And almost before you know it, she will be!” cried Polly, with a gay little laugh.

“I’ll have to run along now,” said Lena, “because Rob gave me this note to take to Harry Grafton, and I said I’d rush over there to give it to him.  I forgot all about it when I stopped to hear Rose’s letter.  I guess I’d have stopped just the same, if I’d remembered Rob’s note!” she said, and her brown eyes twinkled, as she looked over her shoulder on her way down the path.

CHAPTER XII

GYP RUNS AWAY

Polly stood on the little bridge and watched Lena until, at the opening between the trees, she turned and waved her hand, and then ran out upon the road.

“I’ll find Sir Mortimer, and tell him Rose is coming to see us soon,” she said.

She ran along the path, out onto the avenue, then up the broad driveway of Sherwood Hall.

As she passed the holly-hocks, she saw the big cat lying in front of them, basking in the sun.

“Oh, Mortimer darling, you’ll tan in that hot sun,” she said, “but she sat down beside him, as if the sun would have no effect upon her.

“See this letter?” she said, as she showed him the little envelope.  Of course, Sir Mortimer promptly smelt of it.

“Oh, you don’t need to see it so close, dear,” said Polly, “you can surely look at it without putting your nose on it.”

He stretched out his soft paw, and caught at the envelope, as if to play with it.

“Now, Mortimer, ’t isn’t any use for you to take the letter, because you know, dear, you couldn’t read it, but I’ll tell you the best thing in it, if you’ll listen.”

The big cat stared at her and blinked.