t had n't been for Colonel Gresham,"
returned Leonora, with a shake of her head, as the other children
jostled her carelessly, in their eagerness to be at the front.

"What did the Colonel do?" queried Polly wonderingly' but the
rest claimed her, and the answer had to wait.

"You've lost your locket!" cried Stella Pope. "Did you know
it?"

"It is n't los exactly," Polly explained, instinctively
shielding the guilty lad as much as possible in her brief
narration of facts.

"Aw, what a kid!" sniffed Johnny Ryan.

"The horrid boy!" worried Mabel Camp. "What if they don't ever
find it!"

"Where's yer hair ribbon?" asked Frederica, feeling responsible
for the safety of that bit of dainty blue, since she had aided in
its first use.

Again Polly stood in defense.

"My cousin Maude wore it to school, and she had n't come home
when I left."

"What made yer let her?" mourned Frederica. "Bet yer I would
n't!"

"Come, Polly, and change your dress," interposed Miss Lucy,
guessing somewhat of the truth from the little girl's reddening
cheeks and hesitating voice.

In the dressing-room, behind the closed door, the nurse took Polly
in her arms.

"It is so good to have you back again," she told her, with
kisses for emphasis.

The words stabbed the child's heart. The time was to be so short!
Still Polly would not spoil to-day with to-morrow's nor next day's
troubles, and she summoned brave smiles and gay responses, until
she half forgot the dreary fourth-floor flat where she had passed
the night.

Leonora caught an early chance to draw Polly away to a corner
where they could talk--or where she could, for she was bubbling
with excitement over the untold story of last night's doings.

"My! I thought we'd go crazy when Mrs. Jocelyn telephoned to
know why you did n't come! There you'd had time to get to her
house over 'n' over again! Dr. Dudley just left ev'rything and
went off in his auto, and hunted and hunted, and you was n't
anywhere! The he told the police, and they went to lookin'!"

"The police!" repeated Polly, big-eyed with astonishment.

"Yes; but they could n't find you. Miss Lucy 'most cried, and
Dr. Dudley looked so sober I did n't dare speak to him. OH, it
was awful! We was sure you'd been kid--" Leonora hesitated, as
before.

"Kidnaped," prompted Polly.

"Oh, yes, kidnapped! I never can remember how it goes. Well,
David said he knew you had been, and Miss Lucy kep' saying, 'Oh,
no! it c