"No, indeed!" declared Mrs. Sterling, with sudden energy, "I could bear
a menagerie up here, Polly," and she laughed outright.

Gibbons, at this unwonted sound, popped her head in from the adjoining
room where she was busy with her sewing, to gaze in astonishment at her
mistress.

"I am not surprised at your face, Gibbons," said Mrs. Sterling cheerily,
"for you have not heard me laugh for many a day."

"No, madam, I haven't," said Gibbons, "but I can't help saying I'm
rejoiced to hear it now," with a glance of approval on Polly Pepper.

"So, Polly, you see there is no danger of your bringing me any fatigue,
and I should be only too happy to see you at your next rehearsal."

"We can come, I am almost sure," said Polly, "those of us who want to
rehearse at all. Some of us, you see, are quite sure of our pieces:
Pickering Dodge is, for one; he spoke at his last school exhibition. But
I'll tell the others. Oh, thank you for asking us, Mrs. Sterling."

"Thank you for giving your time, dear, to a dull old woman," said Mrs.
Sterling. "Oh, must you go?" She clung to her hand. "I suppose you
ought, child."

"Yes," said Polly, "I really ought to go, Mrs. Sterling. And you are not
dull, one single bit, and I like you very much," she added as simply as
Phronsie would have said it.

"Kiss me good-bye, Polly," said Mrs. Sterling. So Polly laid her fresh
young cheek against the poor, tired, wasted one; hopped into her jacket,
and was off on happy feet.

And the others said "Yes," when they saw Polly's enthusiasm over the
plan of holding a rehearsal at Mrs. Sterling's; and Jasper proposed,
"Why couldn't we repeat the whole thing after our grand performance, for
her sometime?" and, before any one could quite tell how, a warm sympathy
had been set in motion for the rich, lonely old lady in the big, gloomy
stone mansion most of them passed daily on their way to school.

Well, the grand affair was over now, and a greater success than was ever
hoped for. Now came the enjoyment of presenting the money!

"Grandpapa," said Polly, "we are all here."

"So I perceive," looking out on the delegation in the hall. For of
course all the two clubs couldn't go to the presentation, so committees
were chosen to represent them--Polly, Clem, Alexia, and Silvia, for the
Salisbury Club, and Jasper, Clare, Pickering, and Richard Burnett for
the boys' club; while old Mr. King on his own account had invited Joel,
Percy and Van, and, of course, T