I'll wait for you."

Polly never quite forgot that ride. The fresh, twilight air,
fragrant with dewy blossoms; the exhilarating motion; the Doctor's
merry speeches;--these would have been sufficient at any other
time to fill her with joy. Now she was but half conscious of them
all; the dreadful ache in her heart over-powered everything else.
She wondered if Dr. Dudley felt as Miss Lucy did. Or did he, with
Miss Curtis, suspect her to be--a thief! She longed to cry
out, "Oh, I did n't! I did n't! I did n'!" But, instead, she
silently stared out on the dusky road, and wished herself at home,
in her own little bed where she could let the tears come, and not
have to push them back.

She was glad, in a vague kind of way, when the auto slowed up at
the hospital entrance, and the Doctor lifted her out. They walked
up the flagging, hand in hand, the physician as silent as she.
She would have gone directly upstairs, but he drew her into his
office.

"Now, what is it, Thistledown?" he asked gently, taking her in
his arms.

She hid her face on his shoulder, and began to sob.

He let the tears have their way for a time, resting his cheek
lightly on her curls. Finally he spoke again.

"Is it about the ring, dear?"

She nodded.

"What have they been saying to you?" he questioned savagely.

"N-nothing to me," she replied. "I--heard--Miss Curtis--
and Miss Lucy--talking. Miss Curtis--she thinks I--oh,
dear!--she thinks I--took it! You don't think--I--took--"

"_No!_" thundered the Doctor in so tremendous a voice that it
Polly had n't been in such depths of misery she would have laughed
outright.

As it was, she caught his hand to her lips, and kissed it, saying,
"You scared me!"

"Well, I'm sorry," he smiled; "but you must n't ask me such
questions about my Thistledown, if you don't want to hear me
roar."

A wee giggle delighted his ears.

"Now that's something like it!" he said. "Don't let's bother any
more about that ring. Probably we'll find it to-morrow. If we
don't, I'll buy Elsie another."

A faint, uncertain rapping made the physician set Polly gently on
her feet, while he opened the door. Nobody was in sight, and he
kept on to the main entrance.

A man stood outside, who deferentially removed his hat.

"You b'long-a?" he asked.

"Yes, I belong here. I am Dr. Dudley. Whom do you wish to
see?"

"I play out-a here--af'-a-noon-a," with a sweep of his hand
towards the left. "Monkee--him