“Why, to-morrow!” said Jess. “It’s our day to-morrow, Polly.”
“But we won’t be moved,” Polly pointed out. “We can’t get our things in here and in place and have a meeting, too. And if we go over our regular day we have to wait till the next meeting. I said I won’t hold a session without everything in order, and I won’t.”
“Are you mad, Polly?” asked Jess, anxiously. “Perhaps we didn’t hurry right back, but we meant to.”
“No, I’m not mad,” said Polly, calmly. “I’m only telling you that there won’t be any meeting to-morrow. We can move to-morrow, if you want to.”
“But let’s move now, Polly,” urged Artie. “I have the rope and everything. There’s lots of time.”
“We could start, Polly,” said Fred.
“I think Polly is exactly right,” declared Margy. “It’s almost dark now, and we couldn’t see to get up and down the loft ladder. Besides, I nearly froze to death waiting up there for you. It will serve you right to have to wait till after Thanksgiving.”
“Well, you’ll have to wait, too,” Jess retorted.
Polly, usually the gentlest of girls, could, when aroused, be like “a little cake of cement,” her father said. If she said that no meeting of the Riddle Club was to be called till after Thanksgiving, the other members knew that no amount of persuasion could make her change her mind. Jess was not exactly easy in her conscience, for she had lingered beyond all reason; and Ward and Artie, too, knew that they had been thoughtless and selfish to keep the rest waiting.
“We’ll start to move the first thing after school to-morrow,” said Jess. “And I’ll bring the key with me, so we’ll be sure we have it.”