"Oh, no, Jasper! I only put in the bits," said Polly. "He planned it?-
every single bit, Jasper did."

"Well, she thought up the dragons, and the cave, and"?-

"Oh! that was easy enough," said Polly, guilty of interrupting, "because
you see something has to carry off the Princess Clotilde."

"Oh, now! you are not going to frighten my little girl," cried Mr. King.
"I protest against the whole thing if you do," and he put out his hand.
"Come, Phronsie," when, as of old, she hurried to his side obediently.

"Oh! we are going to show her the boys, and how we dress them up just
like dragons," cried Polly, "and while they are prancing around and
slashing their tails at rehearsal, I'm going to keep saying, 'That's
nothing but Jasper and Ben and Clare, you know, Phronsie,' till I get
her accustomed to them. You won't be frightened, will you, pet, at those
dear, sweet old dragons?" she ended, and getting on her knees, she
looked imploringly into Phronsie's brown eyes.

"N--no," said Phronsie, slowly, "not if they are really Jasper and Ben
and Clare."

"They really will be," cried Polly, enchanted at her success, "Jasper
and Ben and Clare; and they will give you a ride, and show you a cave,
oh! and perfect quantities of things; you can't think how many!"

Phronsie clapped her hands and laughed aloud in glee.