When Polly finished her breakfast and was excused from the table, she scampered off as fast as she could down the garden till she came to the little gap in the fence of which my first book told you, you remember, and called: "Teddy! Ted-dee! Oh! Teddy Terry!" as loud as she could all the while she was running.

Now, it happened that Teddy Terry was eating his breakfast at that time, and he was just putting a piece of potato into his rosy mouth when he heard Polly's eager voice. He swallowed that piece of potato so fast that it nearly choked him, and when he had finally gotten it out of the way, he said: "Please 'scuse me, Mamma, Papa!" and, slipping from his chair, was off in a jiffy to meet his little chum, Polly.

"Oh, Teddy, come up in our tree!" cried Polly, as Teddy's curly brown head pushed through the low gap in the dividing hedge fence. "Come quick, quick, quick! I've got the goodest news in the world to tell you 'bout!" She danced about on her little toes while speaking, and, Teddy's plump body having speedily followed his head, he left the fence, and with his little companion ran for the old apple-tree which—as you remember I told you in the first book—was the "consultation office" of our dear little couple whenever they had any especially private conversation with each other.

So up into the stout branches of the old tree they clambered, and settled comfortably down in a safe fork of limbs amid a thicket of green leaves, and then, after Teddy had followed his usual loving habit of kissing Polly on her soft little cheek, and receiving the same sweet greeting from her, she proceeded to tell her secret.

"I'd ask you to guess it first," she said, "but oh, Teddy Terry, you never could in the world! It's this: You 'n' I are going to Europe with my Papa 'n' Mamma! There! what do you think of that, Teddy Terry? Oh, isn't it the very bestest news we could have? Aren't you s'prised most to pieces?"

Teddy's brown eyes opened so wide that it is a wonder they did not stretch out of shape. Surprised? well, indeed he was, and when Polly had told him more about the matter he gave the loudest whoop-la! he could, and then a funny thing happened—he slid off that tree and disappeared in the wood-shed near by, and—I don't know surely—but I think it likely he went in there to hide the tears that came to his eyes, the tears of joy which Polly had had, you know, only Teddy didn't want her to see him turn "cry-baby," and so he had run quickly away. But Polly soon found him there, and together they went to see his Mother, and then he learned more fully all about the pleasure in store for him, and that Mamma and Papa had consented to let him go because they had been called unexpectedly away a long distance to see a sick relative, and it made them glad to know that their little son would be safe and happy with Polly and her Mother and Father during that time. Afterwards, when Teddy and Polly were again together, they talked the coming trip over as children do, and were greatly excited and delighted.

"I promised Mamma solermy, oh, jus' as solermy as could be, that I'd be the goodest behaving boy your Mamma ever saw!" said Teddy, when he and Polly, tired of jumping about and shouting "whoop!" at last sat down on the grass to talk it over, "and—and—she said she wasn't 'fraid to trus' me at all."

"Course not," responded Polly; "you're the best that ever could be to keep promises, and if you forget 'bout 'em, it's jus' 'cause you couldn't truly help it."

The more they talked over the wonderful new surprise, the more excited the dear little couple were growing, and the number of times Teddy put soft kisses on his Polly's cheek (one of his sweet little ways of expressing his joy, at any time, over pleasures they were to share together) I cannot tell, but you may be sure he did not limit his kisses in the least, dear loving little chum as he was!