and fears that she must soon leave him. And so he sets out
to find "The Castle of Life" in order once more to bring back youth to
the old woman. The play follows his adventures on the road to the
castle, and includes his meeting with two fairies--the Fairy of the
Woods and the Fairy of the Water. Polly was to impersonate the wood
spirit.

Her appearance did suggest the character, though naturally she could
not appreciate this fact. But there was always something a bit eerie
and fantastic about her, something not exactly of the everyday
world--her high cheekbones and thin, emotional face with its scarlet
lips and intense expression faintly foreshadowing an unusual future.

But Polly at the present moment was not feeling in the least unusual,
only rather more self-willed and more calculating. Never could she
recall having deliberately deceived any one before in her entire life.
And yet to accomplish her present purpose there was no other way than
the way of deception. No one in Woodford must guess at her reason for
remaining in New York during the holidays, nor must Miss Elkins have
any possible cause for suspicion. Of course she could not stay on at
boarding school. That idea was utterly ridiculous. She would never be
allowed to go out for a single evening alone. Already her right to
liberty had been considerably overreached by this walk of hers down
town. And what she had done during the walk! The offender smiled
rather wickedly at the thought of the consternation and excitement that
the discovery of her act would create. Home she would go to Woodford
then to stay indefinitely!

But Polly did not mean to be found out, She meant to have her little
taste of emancipation and then go back into routine again, until she
was old enough for a larger freedom. So for this reason, although she
should have returned to school an hour before, she continued walking
slowly, devising and rejecting a dozen plans. It was going to be
tremendously difficult to accomplish her purpose. But this she had
foreseen five minutes after she had promised to accept the theatrical
manager's offer. However she would "find a way." She remembered how
often the Princess had said that she had more talent than "Sentimental
Tommy" in this particular direction.

She reached Miss Elkins' school and received five minutes' scolding
from that lady, in the meekest spirit, still without having any idea of
what she could possibly do to accomplis