"It's no sort of use," she said, "and I've made a shocking hole in the
paper. Oh, dear me!" and she looked so utterly miserable that Polly's brow
cleared and she began to laugh.
"Dear me!" she said, "it isn't a bit of matter, and see, I've ever so much
done already on this. And I do believe we shall find that ten-dollar note
sometime. I do verily believe so, Alexia."
"So do I," cried Jasper heartily.
Pickering said nothing; he didn't really believe the ten-dollar bill would
ever be found, having helped Jasper to ransack so many possible and
impossible places, but he wasn't going to say so, and thus add to the
general gloom.
"And I think it was awfully nice of Joel to do that dreadful work over Mr.
King's old books, and earn the money," said Alexia.
Polly looked up with a smile. "Wasn't it?" she cried radiantly.
"And Father says Joe does the lists so well," said Jasper heartily; "he
sticks at it every day like a leech, and there can't anything get him off
to play till the hour is over."
"Well, I don't see how he can," said Alexia, drawing a long breath. "Dear
me, it would just tire me to death. Why, Polly Pepper!" Alexia threw clown
her pen and stared at her. "When is the first meeting to be?"
"Why, you know," said Polly, writing away, laboriously; "next Wednesday
evening, of course."
"Well, we don't say so," said Alexia.
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