splendid chance. We won't do much sweeping and dusting, for it
will only be for a day or two--How long was she going to be gone,
Polly?"

"A week," answered Polly briefly.

"A whole week!" Molly's face fell. Then she resumed, "Well, we
shall get on, in some way or other."

"We needn't do much but get the meals and wash the dishes," said
Polly, with renewed courage.

"We shouldn't have time, if we wanted to," returned Molly. "Now,
Polly, the question is: how much do you know about cooking?"

"Not very much," Polly confessed. "I can boil eggs and make toast,
and I have made coffee, once or twice, just for fun."

"That's good," said Molly enthusiastically; "you're a treasure,
Polly. I can do codfish and milk, and make molasses candy, and fry
griddle-cakes. We shan't have such a bad time, after all."

"We have ever so many cook-books," suggested Polly. "Can't we do
something with them?"

"I'm afraid they'd be tough, unless we boiled them a good while,"
giggled Molly. "But really, Poll, we can work out of them; try
lots of new things, you know, to astonish your father. What does
he like?"