When Polly said "elegant" with such an air, the children always felt very much impressed, and little David now hung his head quite ashamed.
"I'm sorry I ran, Polly," he said.
"Oh, it's no matter in here," said Polly, "but when we get outside, then you must walk in a nice way. Mamsie'd want you to. Oh, now, Ben, go on with your plan and tell the rest."
"Oh, now you've been talking up things, you and Ben; you're always doing that, Polly Pepper," cried Joel, loudly. And he tried to crowd in between Polly and Phronsie.
"See here, you get back!" cried Ben, seizing his jacket collar; "you're not to crowd so, Joe."
"Well, you and Polly are always talking secrets," said Joel, but he fell back with Ben nevertheless, "and keeping them from Dave and me."
"Then you should have stayed with us," said Ben, calmly.
"We didn't know you were going to talk secrets," grumbled Joel.
"Oh, we've only just begun," said Polly, brightly, looking over past Phronsie, "so you'll hear it all, Joey; and Davie, too," she added, looking off to little David on the farther end of the line.
"I'm not going to stir a step away ever again," declared Joel, squirming up as close to Ben as he possibly could, "then you can't talk things without I hear them."