d told her an heiress meant a girl with a bankful of money, like a
flash of lightning came another thought into Polly's mind,--the thought
that then and there from _her_ little bank she might count the money to
buy a valentine for her dear Jane; and once this thought had entered
Polly's head there was no putting it out. Over and above everything it
kept gaining, until it sent her to tugging at that red chimney. Then
suddenly the chimney that had stuck so fast gave way.

Polly nearly fell backward, it was so sudden; but righting herself, she
shook the treasure into her lap, and fell to counting it. She counted up
to ten; that was as far as her knowledge of arithmetic went. Putting
aside the ten pennies into a little pile, she began to count the rest.
"One, two, three," she went on until--why, there was another pile of
ten, and more yet; and the "more yet" counted up to five. Polly couldn't
"do sums." She couldn't add these two piles of ten and the "more yet,"
and she couldn't ask Jane or any one else in the house to do it for her.
But what she _could_ do, what she _would_ do, was to slip the whole
treasure back into the bank, and take it around to the shop on the
corner, the shop where she had seen the paint-boxes, and where she was
sure she should also find plenty of valentines. So getting into her
little coat and hood, she scampered out and off, unseen and unheard by
any of the household. It was rather terrifying to find several other
customers in the shop, but she had no time to wait until they had left,
and, going bravely forward, she called out, "Please, I want a
valentine." But the clerk was busy, and paid no attention to her; so she
pressed a little nearer, and piped out again in a louder tone, "Please,
I want a valentine."

But even this did not succeed in getting his attention. Oh, what
_should_ she do! Perhaps in another minute Jane or Martha or Mrs. Banks
would have missed her, and be hunting for her; perhaps they would be
sending a policeman after her. Oh dear! oh dear! And summoning up all
her courage, she cried out in a voice full of sobs and tears, "Oh,
please, _please_, I want a valentine right off now this minute!"

"Don't you see I'm busy now?" said the clerk, sharply.

But the lady he was waiting upon had turned and looked at Polly as she
spoke, and immediately said to the clerk,--

"Oh, do attend to the child now. Her mother has probably told her to
make haste."

"She hasn't any mother. She's on