I should
either, if it hadn't been for Dr. Dudley. Polly, your father is just
splendid!"

Polly's eyes suddenly filled with happy tears. This was something she
had not anticipated--at least, not yet.

The nurse came with a few spoonfuls of nourishment, and the talk
passed to other things; but Polly went away feeling that Ilga's praise
was her apology, and that her enemy had been miraculously changed into
a friend.

Yet there were hours when the old Ilga was at the front, domineering
and impertinent, and Polly would be called upon to exercise all her
tact and patience in order to keep things pleasant during her visits.
But, little by little, as the convalescent gathered strength of body
she also gained in self-control. Miss Price and Polly were her adored
examples of beautiful living, and it was plain that she was honestly
trying to attain to what she admired in them, although the
dissimilarity of eleven and thirty made the task somewhat more
difficult.

Miss Hortensia Price seemed to Polly to be more gentle than in the old
days. Or was it that she now understood her better? She could not
tell; but it was as unending a wonderment as a joy that the dignified
nurse and the untrained, ungoverned girl should have become such close
friends.

On the day set for Ilga to try walking across her room she had planned
a small tea-party for her chosen comrades.

"Wouldn't it be wiser, my dear, to wait until the next day?" Miss
Price had suggested, not daring to hint more strongly of the
possibility of the blasting of their hopes. "The excitement and
pleasure of being on your feet again should be sufficient for
Wednesday."

But Ilga, sanguine and joyous, wished her friends there to witness her
achievement, and so the preparations had gone on.

Miss Price was to be the guest of honor, and Polly, Patricia, David,
Gustave, and June English and her brother were to make up the party.
Mrs. Barron was sparing neither trouble nor money to please her
daughter, and there were to be guessing contests, with prizes for the
successful ones. It was quite out of Ilga's power to keep a secret, so
Polly had been treated to a glimpse of the dear little pussy-head
pins, with the emerald eyes, and had heard all about the odd-shaped
sandwiches and the curious cakes representing animals, birds, and
various other objects, the guessing of which was to be the feature of
the tea. She had even peeped at one of the beautiful boxes of
confections whi