"Only think," said Polly, "I have to say "Good-bye" twice to-day, for I"m to leave here, and then I"m to leave Rose"s house to go back to Sherwood Hall!"
"And we both knew that this was the day that Polly was to go home, but last night she got a letter," said Rose, "and her mama says that she"s glad she"s having such a lovely time, but that Sherwood Hall is so lonely without her, she can"t spare her any longer.
"I do think it must be dreadful there with Princess Polly away, but I wish I didn"t have to give her up."
"Well, now, suppose we make the trip as cheerful as possible," said Uncle John. "You have your suit cases, your boxes of sh.e.l.ls, your little boats and two hand bags. Really, I think the automobile will be far more comfortable than the cars."
"Oh, yes, yes!" they cried in delight.
"And I"ll drive you over to Aunt Rose"s house. I"ll stay while we lunch with her, and later in the afternoon we"ll take Polly to Sherwood Hall, where I shall take the opportunity to tell Mrs. Sherwood how greatly I have enjoyed her little daughter as my guest."
"Oh, what fun!" cried Polly, "and mama will see you. I told her you were ALMOST as handsome as papa!"
"Oh, spare my blushes!" said Uncle John, "but all the same, I thank you, little Princess Polly, for your good opinion of me. I trust that Rose, and I may borrow you again some day."
[Ill.u.s.tration with caption: "Look!" she cried, "the waves never danced prettier."]
"And I"ll love to be borrowed!" cried Polly, "for this has been a fine visit. Just think how much I have to tell when I am at home, and Lena and Rob and Leslie and Harry come up and ask:
""Did you have a nice time Polly? Where did you go? What did you do while you were away," and I"ll hardly know where to begin, because there"s so much to tell."
They ran down to the beach "Just to say "Good-bye" to the waves," Rose said.
"Look!" she cried. "The waves never danced prettier."
It was with a light heart that Rose let Uncle John help her into the automobile beside Polly. She was to have two long rides with him, and, oh, the secret that she had promised loyally to keep!
"He will fix it so he can be with me PART of the time, SOME of the time!" sang her happy little heart, and her eyes brightened and her cheeks grew pinker with the thought.
She laughed and chattered with Polly all the way, and the long ride seemed all too short, for before she dreamed that they were near the old Atherton house, they turned in at the driveway, and Nora, who had seen them coming, stood smiling a welcome from the doorway.
They made a happy party at lunch, and Aunt Rose was so evidently glad that Rose had returned that the little girl felt almost guilty when she thought of the secret that Uncle John had given her to keep.
"It isn"t that I don"t want to stay here; I mean it isn"t JUST that.
It"s that I can stay here, and be happier because I have Uncle John now, and he loves me, and, oh, he"s planning, just simply planning to--"
Just as she reached that point Uncle John commenced to tell a very funny story, and in the laughter that greeted it she, for the moment, forgot the secret.
Uncle John said nothing of his plan to Aunt Rose. Indeed, he was not quite ready to do that. He knew Aunt Rose Jerusha Atherton too well to tell a part of any plan to her. He knew that she wished her little namesake to be always with her, and he wisely intended to say nothing of his wish regarding Rose until his scheme was complete.
"Then," thought Uncle John, "I"ll have my way. I usually do!" and he smiled as if the thought amused him.
Rose felt that the house seemed less gloomy than she had thought, but she knew that it was Uncle John and Princess Polly who helped to make it cheery.
And when, in the afternoon, they were once more speeding over the shady roads toward Sherwood Hall, it seemed as if every day since she had first met Uncle John had been a holiday.
It was Polly who interrupted her dreaming.
"Why, Rose Atherton!" she said, "I said "Good-bye" to your two Aunts and to Nora and to Lester Jenks, but I never thought to say it to Evangeline! I didn"t want to talk to her, but I did mean just to say "Good-bye.""
"Well, I guess you needn"t mind," said Rose. "It may be you"d OUGHT to have said it, but she never"d let you go without writing an old poem, and p"raps it would have been a long one."
"Oh, dear," said Polly, "I"m ALMOST glad I forgot!"
It was a cordial welcome that awaited them at Sherwood Hall. Mrs.
Sherwood could not wait until Polly should be beside her, but stood upon the broad piazza, watching until the big automobile appeared around the bend of the road.
"Ah, there they come!" she cried, "my own little Princess Polly is coming back to Sherwood Hall."
Up the broad driveway it came, and the moment it stopped Polly sprang out and into the arms that opened wide to receive her.
"Oh, it"s lovely to be with Rose, and I"ve had a fine time, so why IS it so sweet to come home?" she cried.
"We who have loving hearts can easily understand," said Mrs. Sherwood, "and Mr. Atherton doubtless remembers of days when, as a boy, he went on vacation trips that he enjoyed with all the ardent spirit of youth, yet when the day came for returning, his heart beat faster. Home, after all, seemed the dearest place!"
"That is exactly as I remember it, but there"s one thing that you did not mention, and that was the tears that I had to hide," said Uncle John.
"I started on my camping trips with high spirits, yet a bit of regret at leaving home caused my eyes to fill. I could not let the other boys see the tears for fear of being laughed at, so I made all sorts of excuses for the moisture by talking of dust and cinders; that, however, never deceived my comrades for a moment. Therefore, they dubbed me "Softy," a name that I detested."
The sound of a firm tread on the gravel walk caused them to turn as Arthur Sherwood came to greet his guest, and to welcome his little daughter, Polly.
The older members of the party seated themselves on the broad piazza, and while they were pleasantly chatting, Polly and Rose found their little boats that Uncle John had purchased for them, and away they ran to the brook to try them.
"Mine has rubies and emeralds for cargo," said Rose, "and a few, just a FEW necklaces. What has yours, Polly?"
"Mine has diamonds and sapphires," said Polly, "and there are bracelets and bangles in the hold."
"Oh, see their sails!" cried Rose, "how fine, they look just like real ships, that have truly cargoes."
"And see them in the water!" said Polly. "The real boats floating, and the shadow boats down, down in the water. Which are finest, the TRULY boats or the shadow boats?"
"The truly boats are dearest, because Uncle John gave them to us, and they are real, but the shadow boats are beautiful and they look like fairy ships," said Rose.
"Push yours out into the brook away from the sh.o.r.e," said Polly, "and I"ll lash the water with this switch."
"All right," said Rose, and she gave the tiny craft a gentle push.
Polly struck the water sharply with her switch.
"Look! Look!" she cried, "See the boats rocking on the waves! See the bubbles! Don"t it look almost like foam?"
The boats rocked, and danced on the little waves that were only ripples on the surface, and Polly was about to use the switch harder in an attempt to make a hurricane when they heard Uncle John calling:
"Rose! Rose!"
"Oh, he"s calling me," cried Rose, and lifting the little boats from the water they ran back to the driveway.
A few weeks earlier Rose would have found it hard to leave Polly, and she did regret it, but the fact that Uncle John would be with her on the way back to Aunt Rose made it easier.