My duty? Pollyannas eyes were wide with wonder.
Certainly. I know it is warm, but I consider it your duty to keep your windows closed till those screens come. Flies, Pollyanna, are not only unclean and annoying, but very dangerous to health. After breakfast I will give you a little pamphlet on this matter to read.
To read? Oh, thank you, Aunt Polly. I love to read!
Miss Polly drew in her breath audibly, then she shut her lips together hard. Pollyanna, seeing her stern face, frowned a little thoughtfully.
Of course Im sorry about the duty I forgot, Aunt Polly, she apologized timidly. I wont raise the windows again.
Her aunt made no reply. She did not speak, indeed, until the meal was over. Then she rose, went to the bookcase in the sitting room, took out a small paper booklet, and crossed the room to her nieces side.
This is the article I spoke of, Pollyanna. I desire you to go to your room at once and read it. I will be up in half an hour to look over your things.
Pollyanna, her eyes on the illustration of a flys head, many times magnified, cried joyously:
Oh, thank you, Aunt Polly! The next moment she skipped merrily from the room, banging the door behind her.
Miss Polly frowned, hesitated, then crossed the room majestically and opened the door; but Pollyanna was already out of sight, clattering up the attic stairs.
Half an hour later when Miss Polly, her face expressing stern duty in every line, climbed those stairs and entered Pollyannas room, she was greeted with a burst of eager enthusiasm.
Oh, Aunt Polly, I never saw anything so perfectly lovely and interesting in my life. Im so glad you gave me that book to read! Why, I didnt suppose flies could carry such a lot of things on their feet, and
That will do[41], observed Aunt Polly, with dignity. Pollyanna, you may bring out your clothes now, and I will look them over. What are not suitable for you I shall give to the Sullivans, of course.
With visible reluctance Pollyanna laid down the pamphlet and turned toward the closet.
Im afraid youll think theyre worse than the Ladies Aid did and THEY said they were shameful, she sighed. But there were mostly things for boys and older folks in the last two or three barrels; and did you ever have a missionary barrel, Aunt Polly?
At her aunts look of shocked anger, Pollyanna corrected herself at once.
Why, no, of course you didnt, Aunt Polly! she hurried on, with a hot blush. I forgot; rich folks never have to have them. But you see sometimes I kind of forget that you are rich up here in this room, you know.
Miss Pollys lips parted indignantly, but no words came. Pollyanna, plainly unaware that she had said anything in the least unpleasant, was hurrying on.
Well, as I was going to say, you cant tell a thing about missionary barrels except that you wont find in em what you think youre going to even when you think you wont. It was the barrels every time, too, that were hardest to play the game on, for father and
Just in time Pollyanna remembered that she was not to talk of her father to her aunt. She dived into her closet then, hurriedly, and brought out all the poor little dresses in both her arms.
They arent nice, at all, she choked, and theyd been black if it hadnt been for the red carpet for the church; but theyre all Ive got.
With the tips of her fingers Miss Polly turned over the conglomerate garments, so obviously made for anybody but Pollyanna. Next she bestowed frowning attention on the patched undergarments in the bureau drawers.
Ive got the best ones on, confessed Pollyanna, anxiously. The Ladies Aid bought me one set straight through all whole. Mrs. Jones shes the president told em I should have that if they had to clatter down bare aisles themselves the rest of their days. But they wont. Mr. White doesnt like the noise. Hes got nerves, his wife says; but hes got money, too, and they expect hell give a lot toward the carpet on account of the nerves, you know. I should think hed be glad that if he did have the nerves hed got money, too; shouldnt you?
Miss Polly did not seem to hear. Her scrutiny of the undergarments finished, she turned to Pollyanna somewhat abruptly.
You have been to school, of course, Pollyanna?
Oh, yes, Aunt Polly. Besides, fath I mean, I was taught at home some[42], too.
Miss Polly frowned.
Very good. In the fall you will enter school here, of course. Mr. Hall, the principal, will doubtless settle in which grade you belong. Meanwhile, I suppose I ought to hear you read aloud half an hour each day.
I love to read; but if you dont want to hear me Id be just glad to read to myself truly, Aunt Polly. And I wouldnt have to half try to be glad, either, for I like best to read to myself on account of the big words, you know[43].
I dont doubt it, rejoined Miss Polly, grimly. Have you studied music?
Not much. I dont like my music I like other peoples, though. I learned to play on the piano a little. Miss Gray she plays for church she taught me. But Id just as soon let that go as not, Aunt Polly. Id rather, truly.
Very likely, observed Aunt Polly, with slightly uplifted eyebrows. Nevertheless I think it is my duty to see that you are properly instructed in at least the rudiments of music. You sew, of course.
Yes, maam. Pollyanna sighed. The Ladies Aid taught me that. But I had an awful time. Mrs. Jones didnt believe in holding your needle like the rest of em did on buttonholing, and Mrs. White thought backstitching ought to be taught you before hemming (or else the other way), and Mrs. Harriman didnt believe in putting you on patchwork ever, at all.
Well, there will be no difficulty of that kind any longer, Pollyanna. I shall teach you sewing myself, of course. You do not know how to cook, I presume.
Pollyanna laughed suddenly.
They were just beginning to teach me that this summer, but I hadnt got far[44]. They were more divided up on that than they were on the sewing. They were GOING to begin on bread; but there wasnt two of em that made it alike, so after arguing it all one sewing-meeting, they decided to take turns at me one forenoon a week in their own kitchens, you know. Id only learned chocolate fudge and fig cake, though, when when I had to stop. Her voice broke.
Chocolate fudge and fig cake, indeed! scorned Miss Polly. I think we can remedy that very soon. She paused in thought for a minute, then went on slowly: At nine oclock every morning you will read aloud one half-hour to me. Before that you will use the time to put this room in order. Wednesday and Saturday forenoons, after half-past nine, you will spend with Nancy in the kitchen, learning to cook. Other mornings you will sew with me. That will leave the afternoons for your music. I shall, of course, procure a teacher at once for you, she finished decisively, as she arose from her chair.
Pollyanna cried out in dismay.
Oh, but Aunt Polly, Aunt Polly, you havent left me any time at all just to to live.
To live, child! What do you mean? As if you werent living all the time!
Oh, of course Id be BREATHING all the time I was doing those things, Aunt Polly, but I wouldnt be living. You breathe all the time youre asleep, but you arent living. I mean living doing the things you want to do: playing outdoors, reading (to myself, of course), climbing hills, talking to Mr. Tom in the garden, and Nancy, and finding out all about the houses and the people and everything everywhere all through the perfectly lovely streets I came through yesterday. Thats what I call living, Aunt Polly. Just breathing isnt living![45]
Miss Polly lifted her head irritably.
Pollyanna, you ARE the most extraordinary child! You will be allowed a proper amount of playtime, of course. But, surely, it seems to me if I am willing to do my duty in seeing that you have proper care and instruction, YOU ought to be willing to do yours by seeing that that care and instruction are not ungratefully wasted[46].
Pollyanna looked shocked.
Oh, Aunt Polly, as if I ever could be ungrateful to YOU! Why, I LOVE YOU and you arent even a Ladies Aider; youre an aunt!
Very well; then see that you dont act ungrateful, vouchsafed Miss Polly, as she turned toward the door.
She had gone halfway down the stairs when a small, unsteady voice called after her:
Please, Aunt Polly, you didnt tell me which of my things you wanted to to give away.
Aunt Polly emitted a tired sigh a sigh that ascended straight to Pollyannas ears.
Oh, I forgot to tell you, Pollyanna. Timothy will drive us into town at half-past one this afternoon. Not one of your garments is fit for my niece to wear. Certainly I should be very far from doing my duty by you if I should let you appear out in any one of them.
Pollyanna sighed now she believed she was going to hate that word duty.
Aunt Polly, please, she called wistfully, isnt there ANY way you can be glad about all that duty business?
What? Miss Polly looked up in dazed surprise; then, suddenly, with very red cheeks, she turned and swept angrily down the stairs. Dont be impertinent, Pollyanna!
In the hot little attic room Pollyanna dropped herself on to one of the straight-backed chairs. To her, existence loomed ahead one endless round of duty.
I dont see, really, what there was impertinent about that, she sighed. I was only asking her if she couldnt tell me something to be glad about in all that duty business.
For several minutes Pollyanna sat in silence, her rueful eyes fixed on the forlorn heap of garments on the bed. Then, slowly, she rose and began to put away the dresses.
There just isnt anything to be glad about, that I can see, she said aloud; unless its to be glad when the dutys done[47]! Whereupon she laughed suddenly.
Chapter VII
Pollyanna and Punishments
At half-past one oclock Timothy drove Miss Polly and her niece to the four or five principal dry goods stores, which were about half a mile from the homestead.
Fitting Pollyanna with a new wardrobe proved to be more or less of an exciting experience for all concerned. Miss Polly came out of it with the feeling of limp relaxation that one might have at finding oneself at last on solid earth after a perilous walk across the very thin crust of a volcano. The various clerks who had waited upon the pair came out of it with very red faces, and enough amusing stories of Pollyanna to keep their friends in gales of laughter the rest of the week. Pollyanna herself came out of it with radiant smiles and a heart content; for, as she expressed it to one of the clerks: When you havent had anybody but missionary barrels and Ladies Aiders to dress you, it IS perfectly lovely to just walk right in and buy clothes that are brand-new, and that dont have to be tucked up or let down because they dont fit!