to make me go, but I told them flatly I didn't want to, so they
took Florence instead. I had to play casino with Kit all last
evening, and that was all I could stand. I say, I'm going to stay
to dinner over here, if you ask me to." The girls exchanged
glances of consternation which, happily, passed over the top of
Alan's head, and were unseen.

"Well," assented Polly, with some reluctance; "you can stay, I
suppose, but you won't get much to be thankful for, I warn you."

"As long as you tease so hard," responded Alan, disregarding the
coolness of her tone; "I'll stay, then. I told mother I knew you'd
be in a fight, by this time, and need me to make peace, so she'd
better not expect me till I came. Now, honestly, aren't you glad
to see me?" And he beamed up at the girls with such goodwill that
they relaxed their severity, and took the lad into their
confidence.

"Now, Alan," Molly began solemnly; "if you stay here, you mustn't
ever tell the other girls, but Mary has gone, and Polly and I are
doing the cooking ourselves."

Alan whistled; but not even his whistle was as disrespectful as
was his following remark,--

"Anything left over from yesterday that I can have?"

"You must behave, if you stay, Alan," said Polly firmly. "You can
go home, or else you can go to work with us, when it's time. I've
told you before now that we won't have any lazy people around this