Happy Pollyooly: The Rich Little Poor Girl

had been thanked, paid, and dismissed; and Pollyooly, having sufficiently fondled and kissed the irresponsi

nd butter from the cupboard, when he came into the kitchen, we

nius is the art of ta

said Pollyoo

of grilling bacon; you take infinite pains w

Pollyooly with mo

that you merely poured boiling water on tea, and there you were. I have learned that it is not so. Also I have learned that that vegetable which

with the air of one recei

king it exactly as it was taught to me,

boiled. The moment it did boil, following his instructions, she put the tea into the pot, and then, tilting the kettle without taking it from the stove, she poured the still boiling

and sonorous tones of

, I know,-I am sure that very soon you will be not only the fine

lyooly cheerfully. "It do

impressively. "The difficulty is to stick to it-to go on getting the

glass, she took the tray into the sitting-room; he poured ou

at his satisfacti

to say that I couldn't go to my dancing yesterday beca

t after tea," said the Hon

proud visit to the Post Office Savings Bank and added to her fattening account the

onourable John Ruffin, Pollyooly went next m

fact that there is a steady demand for angels in that sphere of British and German industry curiously known as musical comedy. They could not conceive that, since she had to work for a living, Pollyooly's natural grace and the agility she had acq

e Deeping, was esteemed by that accomplished lady one of her most promising pupils. It is no wonder that Pollyooly and her young friend and fiancé Lord Ronald Ricksborough,

n Ruffin's note with indulgence, accept

families, they talked a great deal in their high-pitched, twanging voices about their friends and relations who danced at the Varolium, Panjandrum, and other music halls, friends of whom, since she herself aspired to higher things, Pollyooly ha

illicent was shabby indeed. Pollyooly was quite unaffected by this, for in the days when she had lived in the dreadful fear that she and the Lump might be driven by necessity into the workhouse, she had gone shabby herself. She knew that Millicent's mother, who had once been a dancer, was now a charwoman, often out of work, and in fe

; and it was her privilege to take his left hand as Pollyooly led him from Soho, across the dangerous crossings to the safe stretch of the emb

enquired and Madame Correlli enquired the reason for her absence, but none of the other pupils could te

ent he projected an arm and broke his placid and perpetual silence with one of his rare, but pregnant grunts.

at dazed eyes. Her face did not as usual light up at the

you come to the classes fo

; and her big eyes which had been so

she gazed anxiously at Millicent's seared and miser

issed the Lump listless

g to do?" said Pollyoo

y the seriousness o

workhouse," said

pale for she was always of a clear, camelia-like pallor; but t

t go to the workh

-lustre eyes of the vanquished, and s

re's nowhere else

this dreadful fate of her friend; and she, the dauntless, Spartan heroi

go! You mustn

's funeral yesterday Mrs. Baker, that's our landlady, said the relieving offi

t thing to do," said Po

e gave the little bundle she was carrying a shake-"and then I sneaked down-stairs and out of the house. And oh, the trouble the fro

with an air of

ard out of the street. Then I walked about and then I sat on the embankment trying to think wh

in a tone of deep hostility t

ut I couldn't think of anywhere to go-there didn't seem to be anywhere. So I thought I'd better go ba

iend's tale; she wore an alert and able air which wen

had anything

er head and said

d I didn't eat much then-I wasn'

," said Pollyool

The funeral took all th

llyooly in a tone of relief at seeing her way to do s

u," said

will, at the thought of food; and a f

e road with the Lump, and M

of the road Poll

wait till we get home before we talk about that. But th

Pollyooly bought Millicent a bun. The hungry child ate the first two mouthf

at it all yourself. You want it. He'll h

m just a little pie

at it all," said

f the Lump was proof even against so severe a blow. He merely went on his way with a saddened air. Mil

ooly, her brow knitted in a thoughtful frown, began to talk of Millicent's plight. T

us for a little while, you might find something to do. But it's for Mr. Ruffin to say

d!" said Milli

hopefully. "And if he did, I wonder what kind of

always did our room-all of it. And I cooked all

a whole house there-before she lost all her savings in a gold mine and came to London. And she had everything like the gentry have-pictures

'd try," sa

ay for a week or two, I could teach

etail Millicent's accomplishments. They were few and limi

three days before ordered a cold chicken from the kitchen of the Inner Temple, had made a pretence of eating some of it at his breakfast, and then had bidden her never let him see it a

milk with his dinner, for she was unused to this lavishness with that luxury in a child's diet. Pollyooly explained that it had been an article of faith wit

Pollyooly suggested that it would be well for her to loo

mkins isn't nearly so particular," she said apologetically.

and brush out her mass of silken hair, and lent her a clean frock of her own. Presently, after the good meal on the top of her fas

d nice, and followed his instructions about the making of tea with scrupulous exactness. She ca

scanning, smiled his usual smile of appre

. Bride: w

Bride, because they had decided that "Miss" Bride did no

irl here," said Pollyooly in a so

he Honourable John Ruff

wanted to send her to the workhouse; bu

y from the home she offers them," said the Ho

t and she was very hungry, so I brought her

to do," said the Ho

-till she gets some work to do. There'd be lots of room for her, sir; and s

long time," said the Honou

no less gravely, for she knew well th

rk?" said the Honourable John Ruffin in the tone

eat much," said Pollyooly in

wages Mr. Gedge-Tom

lyooly confidently; and then she added hopef

and it may be forever," said the Hono

ouldn't be as long as that,

at her earnest, anxious pleading f

ance of a little girl for weeks, or it may be months, or even years, ju

ous frown grew d

workhouse?

ll the wat

d, my

aster-work

nd my

s impulses of the young. But before I decide I should like to see your protégée. I take it that she does not rise to those hei

id Pollyooly firmly. "But I'll fetch her, sir." She paused, hesitatingly,

lped," said the Honour

htly from her sleep; her silken hair was prettily waved by its so recent washing; and the excitement of this fateful meeting had flushed delicately her pale cheeks. She appealed alike to the Honourable John Ruffin's aesthetic and protective instinct. On

lly to Millicent, questioned her about her