Polly came flying up-stairs, two or three at a time, and humming a scrap of her last piece that she had just conquered.
"Phronsie," she called, with a merry little laugh, "where"-- "Hush!"said Mr. King, warningly, and then just because he couldn't explain there without waking Phronsie up, he took hold of Polly's two shoulders and marched her into the iiext room, where he carefully closed the door, and told her the whole thing, using his own discretion about the very narrow escape she had passed through.
He told enough, however, for Polly to see what had been so near them; and she stood there so quietly, alternately paling and flushing as he proceeded, till at last, when he finished, Mr. King was frightened almost to death at the sight of her face.
"Oh, goodness me, Polly!" he said, striding up to her, and then fumbling around on the table to find a glass of water, "you are not going to faint, are you? Phronsie's all well now, she isn't hurt in the least, I assure you; I assure you--where i.s a glass of water! Marian ought to see that there's some here--that stupid Jane!" and in utter bewilderment he was fussing here and there, knocking down so many things in general, that the noise soon brought Polly to, with a little gasp.
"Oh, don't mind me, dear Mr. King--I'm---all well.""So you are," said the old gentleman, setting up a toilet bottle that he had knocked over, "so you are; I didn't think you'd go and tumble over, Polly, I really didn't," and he beamed admiringly down on her.
And then Polly crept away to Mrs. Whitney's side where she threw herself down on the floor, to watch the little sleeping figure. Her hand was gathered up, into the kind one that held Phronsie's; and there they watched and watched and waited.
"Oh, dear," said Phronsie, suddenly, turning over with a little sigh, and bobbing up her head to look at Polly; "I'm so hungry! I haven't had anything to eat in over an' ever so long, Polly!" and she gazed at her with a very injured countenance.
"So you must be," said Mrs. Whitney, kissing the flushed little face. "Polly must ring the bell for Jane to bring this little bird some crumbs.
"Can I have a great many?" asked Phronsie, lifting her eyes, with the dewy look of sleep hill lingering in them, "as many as two birdies?""Yes, dear," said Mrs. Whitney, laughing; "I think as many as three little birdies could eat, Phronsie.""Oh," said Phronsie, and leaned back satisfied, while Polly gave the order, which was presently followed by Jane with a well-filled tray.
"Now," said Jappy, when he heard the account of the adventure, "Isay that letter ought to go to your mother, Polly.""Oh," said Polly, "it would scare mamsie most to death, Jappy!""Don't tell her the whole," said Jasper, quickly, "I didn't mean that--about the horses and all that--but only enough to let her see how Phronsie tried to get it to her.""And I'm going to write to your brother Joel," said Van, drawing up to the library table; "I'll scare him, Polly, I guess; he won't tell your mother.""Your crow-tracks'II scare him enough without anything else," said Percy, pleasantly, who really could write very nicely, while Polly broke out in an agony:
"Oh, no, Van, you mustn't! you mustn't!"
"If Van does," said Jasper, decidedly, "it'll be the last time he'll write to the 'browii house,' I can tell him; and besides, he'll go to Coventry." This had the desired effect.
"Let's all write," said Polly.
So a space on the table was cleared, and the children gathered around it, when there was great scratching of pens, and clearing of ideas; which presently resulted in a respectable budget of letters, into which Phronsie's was lovingly tucked in the centre; and then they all filed out to put it into the letterbox in the hall, for Thomas to mail with the rest in the morning.
