ps with as much care as
if the welfare of the ward depended on their being straight to a
thread. Her efforts were successful, for they pushed away Aunt
Jane. So the forenoon passed, leaving her at dinner time a little
more tired than usual, but free from the worry of the day before.

Soon after the meal Miss Lucy went downstairs. When she came back
Polly was playing Authors with Leonora, Mabel, Frederica, and
Stella. She stopped beside Polly's chair.

"Dr. Dudley wants you," she smiled. "Run right along, and I will
take your place."

Polly went, wondering, but fearing little. Miss Lucy's face was
too radiant to betoken anything unpleasant.

Dr. Dudley held out his arms, and the little girl ran into them.

"Glorious news, Thistledown! It is all settled! 'Aunt Jane' has
no right to you whatever!"

"Oh!" she gasped, and went suddenly white.

The Doctor dropped into a chair, and took her in his lap, letting
her lean against him.

"I'm glad you are going to school next week," he declared. "You
will get out of doors more. I'm not going to have you paling up
in this way every little while. You are in the house too much."

"I'm all right," she argued. "Tell me about it, please!"

"To begin with," he smiled, "these people are no relatives of
yours."

Polly's eyes rounded with amazement.

"And Aunt Jane is n't my aunt at all?"

"Not the least mite of an aunt," he laughed. "It was a hard
thing for her to admit; but she had to do it."

"You have seen her?" queried Polly.

"Mr. Brewster and I were there this forenoon. It seems that she
lived next door to you at the time your father died, and,
according to her own statement, she gave you mother a great deal
of assistance at that time. It is easy to see how she made your
mother feel under obligations to her, and the rest came about as
it naturally might with such a woman. When she saw her chance for
gain she improved it. She has defrauded you out of household
goods and money; but Jack thinks we should hardly make anything by
taking the matter into court. There is nearly two thousand
dollars still to your credit in the bank, and that shall stay
there till you are of age. She was allowed only a certain sum per
week for your support--the rest she could not touch; but she
did what she pleased, it seems, with the money received for
furniture and so on. She has no property that we can get hold of,
except the things which belonged to your mother. Those we