"Perhaps it can be fixed," said Alexia, overwhelmed with distress and leaning forward to see the worst. "I 'most know it can; let me try, Polly."
"No, no, Alexia, I wouldn't," said Jasper; "it's quite bad enough already."
"Well, maybe I can do it," persisted Alexia, "if I could only try."
"You may try," said Polly, pushing the paper toward her, when she saw Alexia's face, "but it's no matter anyway, I'll write another." And she had already begun it when Alexia threw down the ink-eraser.
"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.