"I"ll put this pillow right under your shoulders--so. Now throw your head--"
A sharp rap halted the sentence. Mrs. Albright sat up. The door was flung open before Polly reached it.
"Ladies! what does this mean?" Miss Sniffen stood there, resolute and merciless.
n.o.body answered.
Miss Twining and Miss Lily began hurriedly to gather up their disheveled hair. Miss Castlevaine arose haughtily. Polly"s tongue was quickest to recover itself.
"I was only teaching the ladies some exercises to make them strong.
We are not doing any harm, Miss Sniffen."
"I infer that it makes them stronger to pull their hair down." The tone was smoothly sarcastic.
"Oh, that!" returned Polly, with a tiny smile; "I"ve been telling them how to ma.s.sage the scalp, so as to make their hair grow."
"Very necessary, indeed! And I suppose their hair grows faster if they stretch themselves out upon the bed and the floor! I"m ashamed of you!"
"Oh, Miss Sniffen!" protested Polly, "you have to lie down to take these exercises! The book says so!"
"Book!" snapped the angry voice; "I"ll book you all for what you won"t like if I ever catch you in such unladylike postures again!
You must be in your second childhood! Now march to your rooms, every one of you!" She waved her hand peremptorily toward the doorway, and the culprits filed meekly past her--all but Miss Castlevaine. She walked with stately step and head held high, as became the great-granddaughter of a d.u.c.h.ess.
"I think you would better go home now, you have worked mischief enough for one day!" She addressed Polly in a slightly mollified tone.
"Why, Miss Sniffen, I can"t see what harm there is in trying to get well and strong. I should think you"d like the ladies to be better. Father and mother think these exercises are fine!
Mother"s Grandaunt Susie told us about them. They made her as good as new!"
"We won"t discuss the matter," replied the superintendent in a hard voice. "You need not remain to talk it over with Miss Sterling."
"I"m going--right now!" Polly caught up her coat.
"Good-bye, Miss Nita!" She swept past Miss Sniffen with a curt bow.
The door tight shut, Juanita Sterling fisted the air in the direction of the departing superintendent. Then she drooped her head and sobbed.
CHAPTER XVIII
VICTOR VON DALIN
For several days the weather was showery, not very pleasant for walking, and Polly stayed away from the June Holiday Home.
"What will Miss Nita think!" she mourned. "Miss Sniffen has probably forgotten by this time that she sent me home. Wouldn"t it do for me to go over for just a little while this fore-noon, while the officers are all busy?"
"I think you had better wait until Sat.u.r.day," her mother decided.
So Polly sighed and ran off to write a little note to her beloved friend. It was warm in her own room, and she carried paper and pencil out to her favorite seat on the veranda.
She was there when a man came up the front steps, a white-haired man. He walked with a firm, quick step, and when he saw her he came over to where she sat. He took off his hat with a courteous bow.
"May I ask," he said in a low, pleasant voice, "if you know a lady in the June Holiday Home named Adlerfeld, Mrs. Elise Adlerfeld?"
"Oh, yes, sir! I know her very well; that is, I know Mrs.
Adlerfeld. I am not sure that her name is Elise."
"Her husband"s name was Hans Adlerfeld."
"I don"t know anything about him," Polly replied; "but there"s only one Mrs. Adlerfeld there. She is a dear! I love her!"
The man"s face flushed with pleasure. "Then you may, perhaps, help me. I have sought her these two years, and only now have I found her! I went to the door, and the lady told me I could not see her till next Wednesday! I cannot stay. I must go back to New York, and I must see her before I go. I begged the door-keeper to allow me to speak with my friend for only a short moment; but she would not. She said it was not visitor"s day. Then I thought perhaps a neighbor might help me. So I come to you. I ask you, is there any way I can get inside to her, or she can get out to me? I beg of you, my dear young lady, will you help me? I must see her to-day!
I cannot stay even till to-morrow!"
"That is just like Miss Sniffen" declared Polly. "She is the superintendent. She will never let anybody in except on Wednesday afternoon. It is a shame" I don"t know--" She hesitated.
"Perhaps mother will let me go over and tell her. Please take this chair, sir. Mother will see you about it; she will know better than I what to do."
"Tell her, if you please, that it is Victor von Dalin, an old friend of Mrs. Adlerfeld"s, in Sweden, who desires to see her."
"Oh! are you really from Sweden?" beamed Polly. "How delighted she will be!"
"I have not been in Sweden these two years; but I knew her well when we lived there, a long time ago."
Polly ran off, full of excitement. How pleased the dear little woman would be! To think Miss Sniffen should refuse him entrance!
She explained the matter to her mother.
"I will go right down," said Mrs. Dudley. "We must find some way to bring them together without arousing suspicion."
It was finally decided that Polly should go over to the Home and up to Miss Sterling"s room, as usual, leaving Miss Sterling to see Mrs. Adlerfeld and to give her Mrs. Dudley"s invitation to spend the rest of the day at her house.
Happily, Miss Sniffen was not in sight as Polly made her quick way to the third floor.
"You dear child! Then you"re not sick! I was afraid you were."
Miss Sterling held her at arm"s length, to make sure of her health.
"Sick? Not a bit!" laughed Polly. "Mother thought I"d better not come until Miss Sniffen had had a chance to forget she sent me home--that"s all! I wasn"t coming till to-morrow, but something happened--the loveliest thing!"
"What?"
"Come, sit down, and I"ll tell you!"
"I can"t imagine what it is!"
"No, you can"t! You couldn"t guess if you had a year to do it in!
The nicest man has come from New York to see Mrs. Adlerfeld, and they wouldn"t let him in here! Wasn"t that mean! So he came over to our house, to ask if we knew her and could help him out. He used to know Mrs. Adlerfeld in Sweden, and he"s bound to see her!
Oh, he"s so lovable! His hair is as white! But he doesn"t look old. Can"t you come over pretty soon and see him? Though I don"t know as you"d better. That might give it away--to have two come!
Mother wants you to tell Mrs. Adlerfeld that she would like to have her spend the day with us. Make her come just as quick as she can.