you to-morrow, girls."




CHAPTER III.

THE GIRLS TRY TO IMPROVE THEIR MINDS.


Polly's reading-club started off valiantly the next afternoon, and
for an hour the girls read aloud industriously, while the rain
pattered on the shingles above their heads. The experiment had all
the charm of novelty, and the weather was in their favor, since
there was little temptation to be out of doors; so, at the close
of the first day, the reading was voted a great success. However,
the next time there was a slight decrease in the interest, and
Jean's suggestion as they sat down, that they should read for half
an hour and play games the rest of the time, was hailed with
delight by all but Polly, who was haunted by the possibility of
being that "living disgrace" which Aunt Jane had pronounced her.
Still, Polly was in the minority, and the change of programme was
adopted. At the third meeting, Molly was the one to propose an
adjournment at the end of the first quarter of an hour, and the
girls were not slow to take advantage of the suggestion, and go
rushing down-stairs, and out into the bright afternoon sunshine,
to join Alan who was lazily swinging in the hammock, with his eyes
fixed on the bits of white cloud that went drifting across the
blue above him.