"I couldn't help it," said the little doctor, coming up red and animated, and wiping his forehead. His spectacles had fallen off long since, and he had let them go. "It looked so nice to see Jasper and Polly, I thought I'd try it. I didn't suppose I'd get on so well; I really believe I can dance."
"Humph!" laughed Mr. King, "it looks like it. Just see Polly."
"Oh, Papa Fisher!" cried Polly with a merry peal in which Jasper, unpuckering his lips from the Strauss effort, had joined, "we must have looked"—Here she went off again.
"Yes," said Jasper, "you did. That's just it, Polly, you did. Lucky you two caperers didn't break anything."
"Well, if you've got through laughing," observed Dr. Fisher, "I'll remark that the secret is out."
"Do you like it, Polly?" asked Mr. King, holding out his hand. "Say, my girl?" And then before she could answer, he went on, "You see, we can't do anything without a doctor on our travels. Now Providence has given us one, though rather an obstinate specimen," he pointed to Father Fisher. "And he wants to see the hospitals, and you want to study a bit of music, and your mother wants rest, and Jasper and Phronsie and I want fun, so we're going, that's all."
"When?" demanded Polly breathlessly.
"In a month."