mma
always writes to me on papa's typewriter."

Her uncle laughed, though Molly could not see why.

"You'd better read every word in it," he remarked, "for there is big
news there for a young woman of your size."

Molly hastily tore open the envelope and began to read. She had not
finished the page, however, before she cried out: "News! News! I
should think it was news. What do you think, Mary? What do you think,
Polly?"

"Can't imagine," said Polly. Then as a second thought occurred to her,
"Oh, is your mother going to let you go home with me? I know my mother
has asked to have you, for I wrote to her to beg that you could come."

Molly shook her head. "No, it's east instead of west, Polly. Mother
and I are going to England with Mary and Uncle Arthur."

"Oh!" Mary jumped to her feet and clasped her hand ecstatically. "Oh,
Molly, I am so glad. Aren't you?"

"Yes, I am except for one thing; I know I shall be scared to death of
Miss Sharp. Is she really so very, very strict?"

"My word! but you'd think so. Fancy never being allowed to run, nor to
climb nor to do anything one really likes to do, and, oh, Molly, I
wonder will you eat your meals in the nursery with us children.
There's nasty rice pudding twice a week, you know, and there are never
hot rolls nor biscuits for breakfast as you have here, then we do have
horribly cold houses in winter."

"Oh!" Molly looked quite disturbed by this report. But presently her
face again broke into smiles. "But then, to see England and to be with
you, Mary. We shall go up to London in the spring and we shall spend
the winter in Cornwall or Devon, where it is not so very cold, mother
says."

"Oh, we are to be in the country, then," said Mary. "I'm glad of that.
Papa thought we should take our country home again this winter; we were
not there last year."

"It's so funny to go to the country for winter and the city for
summer," remarked Polly. "We do just the opposite."

"Oh, but we like the country in winter," Mary explained. "It's jolly
good sport to be there then. We have a proper little pony of our own,
you know, and we really have quite good times." Polly laughed. "It is
so funny to hear Mary say a 'proper' pony. We would say a real pony,
wouldn't we?"

"I shall be corrected a great many times for the American things I have
learned to say," said Mary. "I've no doubt but that Miss Sharp will be
continually coming down on me for saying them.