olly, here, can't bring in a
leaf of it without getting found out. He is a regular tea drinking
type."

"Are you from California, too?" asked Molly, smiling at Polly and
wondering if Jo's frankness hurt his feelings. But if it did he
concealed his wounds remarkably well.

"Yes, indeed, Jo and I are from the same town. I have known her ever
since she was a little boy. She is an awful clever sort and as kind and
good as can be. I never mind her blague. We are the best friends in the
world and she likes me as much as I do her. Have you seen her painting?
She does the best and highest paid miniature work among the American
artists in Paris. She has a very interesting way of working: paints
everything big first and then in miniature. She says it keeps her from
getting a sissy manner."

"I can't fancy Miss Williams with a sissy manner in anything," laughed
Elise, who joined Molly and Mr. Perkins. "I want to see her things so
much; and I do hope you will show us some of your work, Mr. Perkins. I
hear you are of the new movement in art."

"Yes," said poor Polly sadly. "Jo hates me for it and refuses to think I
am sincere or that there is any good in the movement, but I declare that
she is the insincere one in not trying to see the good in the cubist
movement. Jo is very hard-headed and conventional at heart, in spite of
her pants."

The girls burst out laughing at this. The idea of Jo's being
conventional was certainly absurd. Hard-headed she no doubt was.

"This will show you how stubborn she is: she pretends she does not
remember my name. I don't mind her calling me Polly, but I do think she
should address my letters to Mr. Peter Perkins and not Polly. I have
known her ever since we were both of us babies and she must remember
what my parents call me, even though she never did call me Peter
herself," said the poor cubist who looked ready to weep.

Just then there was a diversion caused by a great knocking on a door in
the court. It proved to be none other than Mrs. Pace.

"She has come to spy out the nakedness of the land," whispered Judy to
Mr. Kinsella, who had been having a long talk with her. Pierce had had
so much to say of this delightful young lady that his uncle was
determined to make her acquaintance and find out if she were the kind of
girl to be a help to his beloved nephew, or if there could be a chance
of Judy's being the type that he had unfortunately come in contact with
in his youth, causing so much