“Not exactly. It’s Mr. John Pendleton. He would like to see you today, if you’ll be so good as to come. It’s stopped raining, so I drove down after you. Will you come? I’ll call for you and bring you back before six o’clock.”

“I’d love to!” exclaimed Pollyanna. “Let me ask Aunt Polly.”

In a few moments she returned, hat in hand, but with rather a sober face.

“Didn’t—your aunt want you to go?” asked the doctor, a little diffidently, as they drove away.

“Y-yes,” sighed Pollyanna. “She—she wanted me to go too much, I’m afraid.”

“Wanted you to go too much!”

Pollyanna sighed again.

“Yes. I reckon she meant she didn’t want me there. You see, she said: ‘Yes, yes, run along, run along—do! I wish you’d gone before.’ “

The doctor smiled—but with his lips only. His eyes were very grave. For some time he said nothing; then, a little hesitatingly, he asked:

“Wasn’t it—your aunt I saw with you a few minutes ago—in the window of the sun parlor?

Pollyanna drew a long breath.

“Yes; that’s what’s the whole trouble, I suppose. You see I’d dressed her up in a perfectly lovely lace shawl I found upstairs, and I’d fixed her hair and put on a rose, and she looked so pretty. Didn’t you think she looked just lovely?”

For a moment the doctor did not answer. When he did speak his voice was so low Pollyanna could but just hear the words.

“Yes, Pollyanna, I—I thought she did look—just lovely.”

“Did you? I’m so glad! I’ll tell her,” nodded the little girl, contentedly.

To her surprise the doctor gave a sudden exclamation.

“Never! Pollyanna, I—I’m afraid I shall have to ask you not to tell her—that.”

“Why, Dr. Chilton! Why not? I should think you’d be glad—”

“But she might not be,” cut in the doctor.

Pollyanna considered this for a moment.

“That’s so—maybe she wouldn’t,” she sighed. “I remember now; ’twas ’cause she saw you that she ran. And she—she spoke afterwards about her being seen in that rig.”

“I thought as much,” declared the doctor, under his breath.

“Still, I don’t see why,” maintained Pollyanna, “—when she looked so pretty!”

The doctor said nothing. He did not speak again, indeed, until they were almost to the great stone house in which John Pendleton lay with a broken leg.