h a great deal of nonsense and a good sprinkling of quiet,
friendly chat, they made their way to Professor Salazar's house,
proffered Polly's apologies, and took the train for San Francisco.

CHAPTER VII.

"WHERE IGNORANCE IS BLISS."

The trip from Berkeley to San Francisco was a brilliant success from
Edgar's standpoint, but Polly would have told you that she never worked
harder in her life.

"I 'll just say 'How do you do?' to your mother, and then be off," said
Edgar, as they neared the house.

"Oh, but you surely will stay to dinner with us!" said Polly, with the
most innocent look of disappointment on her face,--a look of such
obvious grief that a person of any feeling could hardly help wishing to
remove it, if possible. "You see, Edgar" (putting the latch-key in the
door), "mamma is so languid and ill that she cannot indulge in many
pleasures, and I had quite counted on you to amuse her a little for me
this evening. But come up, and you shall do as you like after dinner."

"I 've brought you a charming surprise, mamacita!" called Polly from
the stairs: "an old friend whom I picked up in the woods like a
wild-flower and brought home to you." ("Wild-flower is a good name for
him," she thought.)

Mrs. Oliver was delighted to see Edgar, but after the first greetings
were over, Polly fancied that she had not closed the front door, and
Edgar offered to go down and make sure.

In a second Polly crossed the room to her mother's side, and whispered
impressively, "Edgar _must_ be kept here until after midnight; I have
good reasons that I will explain when we are alone. Keep him
somehow,--anyhow!"

Mrs. Oliver had not lived sixteen years with Polly without learning to
leap to conclusions. "Run down and ask Mrs. Howe if she will let us
have her hall-bedroom tonight," she replied; "nod your head for yes
when you come back, and I 'll act accordingly; I have a request to make
of Edgar, and am glad to have so early an opportunity of talking with
him."

"We did close the door, after all," said Edgar, coming in again. "What
a pretty little apartment you have here! I have n't seen anything so
cosy and homelike for ages."

"Then make yourself at home in it," said Mrs. Oliver, while Polly
joined in with, "Is n't that a pretty fire in the grate? I 'll give
you one rose-colored lamp with your firelight. Here, mamacita, is the
rocker for you on one side; here, Edgar, is our one 'man's chair' for
you on the ot