“Ah, but,” said Phronsie, slowly shaking her head, “I didn’t want to give them away before; only just now, Grandpapa, and I think they will be happy.  And now I’m going to take this newest one to bed, just as I used to take things to bed years ago, when I was a little girl.”

And after all, there was an extension of time for the three boys’ vacation, Dr. Marks not getting up from his sudden attack of fever as quickly as was expected.  But there came a day at last, when Percy, Van and David bade Joel “good-by.”

“It won’t be for long,” observed that individual cheerfully, “you’ll be back in three weeks.”

“O dear!” groaned Percy when safe within the coach, “we’ve ruined all his chances.  He certainly will be plucked now—­with those three weeks to make up.”

Van gathered himself up and leaned forward in his corner.

“Don’t look so, Dave,” he cried desperately.

David tried to smooth the troubled lines out of his face, but only succeeded in making it look worse than before.

“And it will kill Mrs. Fisher,” Percy continued gloomily, “if he does get plucked, as of course he will.”

“Keep still, will you?” cried Van, his irritation getting beyond bounds.  “What’s the use of talking about a thing till it’s done,” which had the effect to make Percy remember his promise to Polly and close his mouth.

But Joel’s wound healed quicker than any one supposed it possibly could, and Percy and Van, who both hated to write letters, gave up much time on the playground to indite daily bulletins, so that he declared that it was almost as good as being there on the spot.  And Mother Fisher and her army of servants cleaned the great stone house from top to bottom, and sorted, and packed away, and made things tidy for the new housekeeper who was to care for them in her absence, till Dr. Fisher raised his eyebrows and hands in astonishment.

“I really must,” he said one day, “put in a remonstrance, wife, or you’ll kill yourself before we start.”

“Oh!  I’m used to working,” Mrs. Fisher would say cheerily, and then off she would fly to something so much worse that the little doctor was speechless.

And Polly set herself at all her studies, especially French, with redoubled vigor, notwithstanding that she was hampered with the faithful attentions of the schoolgirls who fought among themselves for her company, and showered her with pathetic “O—­dear—­me—­ow—­I—­shall—­miss--you,” and with tears when they got over it.  And Jasper buried himself in his den, only bursting forth at meal times, and Mrs. Whitney bemoaned all preparations for the travelers’ departure, and wished a thousand times that she had not given her promise to keep the house and look after the boys.  And everybody who had the slightest claim to a calling acquaintance, now dropped in upon the Kings, and Polly had her “good-by party,” and it was pronounced perfectly elegant by Alexia and her set, and the three boys came home for the long vacation—­and in two days the party would sail.