cried remorsefully, buttoning herself into her boots. Which done,
she flew at the rest of her preparations and tried to make up for
lost time.

But 'twas all of no use. The day seemed to be always just racing
ahead of her, and turning a corner, before she could catch up to it,
and Ben and the other boys only caught dissolving views of her as
she flitted through halls or over stairs.

"Where's Polly?" said Percy at last, coming with great
dissatisfaction in his voice to the library door. "We've called her, I
guess a million times, and she won't hurry."

"What do you want to have her do?" asked Jasper, looking up from
the sofa where he had flung himself with a book.

"Why, she said she'd make Van and me our sails you know," said
Percy, holding up a rather forlorn looking specimen of a boat, but
which the boys had carved with the greatest enthusiasm, "and we
want her now."

"Can't you let her alone till she's ready to come?" said Jasper
quickly. "You're always teasing her to do something," he added.

"I didn't tease," said Percy indignantly, coming up to the sofa, boat
in hand, to enforce his words. "She said she'd love to do 'em, so
there, Jasper King!"

"Coming! coming!" sang Polly over the stairs, and bobbing into the
library, "Oh--here you are, Percy! I couldn't come before; mamsie