"Any afternoon, but Thursday."
"Then I shall be glad for awhile if you will come every afternoon but Thursday. I can forge ahead famously with these illustrations if you come as often as that. When these are done, I shall want you for something else, if you have the time to give me. Good-bye. Tell Becky, if you see her, that I have a thousand things to say to her."
The girls took their departure down a steep stairway and groped their way out. The elevator was not running. They discovered through later experience that it seldom was.
"Well, Polly," said Teddy when they had reached the street. "What do you think of your job?"
"I think it is wonderful," Polly answered. "I was so interested in all those curious things, and Miss Thurston is so nice that I feel as if I were in a dream. I did want to go around and examine all those strange objects she has scattered around in such careless profusion."
"Not so careless as you may suppose," said Janet. "They will become familiar enough to you before you get through."
"It will be a liberal education to me," said Polly, whose eyes were bright with excitement. "I never expected to come into contact with a real artist and to be going every day to a studio. It is perfectly wonderful to me to suddenly step into such a world." She gave a long sigh. "How different, how very different from the humdrum life at home. You girls have opened up a new avenue of pleasure to me. What can I ever do for you?"
"Just love us a little," replied Janet affectionately slipping her arm into Polly's. "Isn't it fine about the studio tea? And wasn't it dear of Miss Thurston to ask us to help her? I shall love to dress up in that costume and pass around tea and cakes."
"I think," said Polly slowly, "that Miss Thurston must have a beautiful nature. She couldn't have included me, if she hadn't thought of the costumes, and so she did it that I might be on an equal footing with you all in the matter of dress. I know that."
"Why, Polly, what makes you think so?" asked Janet.