"Never mind; we can make believe that the queen has sent them off,
so as not to scare Pocahontas; that's what they call poetical
license," said Polly. "Jean can see about that. There are lots of
splendid things to wear, right here in this garret. Don't you
suppose your mother would let us take them, Molly?"

"Yes, I know she will," replied Molly.

There was silence for a moment, while the girls considered the
matter. Then Polly returned to her first charge.

"But it will take a good while to get ready to start this, so I'd
like to suggest our doing something else, while we wait."

"Polly has something in her head," said Jean. "Tell us what 'tis,
Poll,"

"Well, I'll tell you," said Polly, as she rose and began to walk
up and down the floor. "Aunt Jane was scolding, the other day,
because I hadn't read 'Pilgrim's Progress.' She said it was a
living disgrace to me, and that I must do it, right off. Now, what
if we have a reading club and do it together? Have any of you read
it? I don't believe you ever have."

The girls admitted that they had not.

"That's just what I thought," said Polly triumphantly. "It's so
stupid that I can't do it alone, for I read the first page
yesterday, and I know. But we don't any of us want to be 'a living
disgrace'; so what if we read aloud an hour every other afternoon?