with a graceful bound, she turned to one
of the girls.

"Can you tell me, please, where Mrs. MacCarthy lives?--Brida
MacCarthy's mother?"

With a second surprise on her freckled face, the child pointed to a
fat, red-cheeked woman, who was cooling herself with a big palm-leaf
fan, in a basement doorway just beyond.

"Thank you," was the polite response, and Polly descended the
short flight of steps into the bricked area.

The woman looked up expectantly.

"I'm Polly May, of the hospital staff," the little girl
announced modestly, "and Brida would like her kitten, please."

The smile on Mrs. MacCarthy's face expanded into a big, joyous
laugh.

"Does she now? Moira! Katie! D'ye here that? Brida's sint f'r her
cat! Sure an' she moost be gittin' 'long rale well! An' ye're
from th' hospital! Moira! Where's yer manners? Fetch th' little
lady a chair! Katie, git a mug o' wather an' wan o' thim big
crackers. Don't ye know how to trate comp'ny?"

In a minute Polly was seated, a china mug of water in one hand,
and a crisp soda biscuit in the other, while the MacCarthy family
circled around her, eager for news from the beloved Brida. There
were only encouraging accounts to give of the little girl with the
broken ankle; but they led to so many questions that Polly began
to wonder how she should ever escape from these friendly people,
when Popover herself solved the question.

The pretty black kitten suddenly appeared at the visitor's side,
and at the first caressing word from Polly jumped into her lap.

"D' ye see that?" cried the delighted mother, and in the
momentary excitement Polly arose and said that she must go.

Brida's sisters and small brother accompanied her for two blocks
up the street, and then, with numerous good-byes, they left her to
her long, wearisome walk.

She had not gone far before she realized that the warm little
animal was more of a burden than she had counted on, exhausted as
she was already with her unusual exercise; but she kept up
courageously, even making little spurts of speed as she would
wonder if Miss Lucy were becoming anxious about her. After
awhile, however, instead of hurrying, she was obliged to stop now
and then on a corner, to catch the breeze coming up from the sea,
for she felt strangely faint. When she finally trudged up
Hospital Hill, the air grew cool all at once, and she quite forgot
herself for thinking of Brida and Miss Lucy.

At the door of the ward she paus