After this, he followed up the meeting by offering every attention he could to Polly. He called at her shabby little boarding house. He sent her huge bunches of violets; he dropped into the studio the afternoons that he knew she would be there, and though Miss Thurston invariably sent him away before it was time for Polly to return home, he came again and again. Polly, happy and dazzled, confided all this to Janet and received such intense and sympathetic attention to her confession that she declared Janet was the dearest friend and sweetest confidante a girl could have.
"Mr. Austin has asked me to go to a concert with him," she told Janet one day, "and Miss Thurston says she will chaperon us. But oh, Janet, what have I to wear? I simply cannot let him see me in those shabby clothes of mine. You know I never have allowed him to go anywhere with me and he has never seen me in ordinary street dress, for he almost always meets me at the studio before I have had time to change the costume in which I have been posing. Then when he has called to see me, where I live, I have that gray gown that you helped me to make respectable for house wear and I always can put that on."
"If you would only let me lend you something," said Janet.
"Oh, no, no," protested Polly, "I simply couldn't appear under false pretenses. You are a dear to offer, but I can't do that; I'd rather stay at home."
"When is the concert?" asked Janet.
"Next Friday night."
"Well," said Janet, "what have you told him?"
"I said I didn't know whether I could go or not. I felt as if I must let myself have a little hope, though I knew it was foolish to suppose I could get up a proper dress by that time. He said I needn't tell him till the last minute, and that he would drop in on Friday afternoon at the studio and find out."
"Then there is nearly a week before us. We will try to evolve some sort of scheme in that time. Don't worry over it, dear child. Run along now and let me grapple with the problem."
Polly had no sooner left than Teddy entered, her arms full of books.