She spent a lonely afternoon in Top Notch, too miserable to even pour out her heart to "Dorothea." Then she helped Aunt Achsa prepare supper and after supper, which was lonely, too, for neither Lavender nor Mr. Dugald were there, she insisted upon clearing up the dishes while Aunt Achsa went down to Tillie Higgins'. Swishing her hands in the soapy water Sidney pondered sadly the things she had longed to learn of Pola. Her name--why she hadn't even found out her name! What had her teacher said of that theme she had written on her visit to the Romley house? Where did Pola live? Of course she might see her again--Pola had said that they'd be in Provincetown for a few days, but she did not _want_ to see her; she did not want Pola to see Sunset Lane and the little gray cottage and Aunt Achsa and Lavender. Pola would laugh at them and she would hate her! At that moment footsteps crunched the gravel of the path and a shadow fell across the kitchen door. Sidney turned from the table. There stood Mr. Dugald and with him--Pola. "I've brought my cousin, Sidney. She blew out to the Cape with that ill-wind we felt this morning. If you know what we can do with her I'll be your slave for life." Playfully pushing Dugald Allan aside Pola walked into the kitchen. "Isn't he horrid? You wouldn't dream that he's really crazy about me, would you? I told him how we'd met, even before this morning. He'd written home that Miss Green's cousin was here but I never dreamed it was you. I'm so sorry I didn't have a chance to introduce you to mother this morning. But mother wants me to take you back to the hotel. You can have a room right next to mine and we'll have scads of fun--You'll come, won't you?" For Sidney's face was unyielding. Like one cornered, Sidney stood straight against the table, her hands, red from the hot dish water, clasped tightly behind her back. Though she knew that Pola was trying to make amends for her rudeness of the morning, something within her heart turned hard. The dusty idol was crumbling to bits of clay. "She's only inviting me because Mr. Dugald has told her to," she reasoned inwardly. And aloud she answered in a steady voice: "I'm sorry, but I simply can't leave Aunt Achsa. You must come here and we'll find lots of jolly things to do--" "Here?" laughed Pola, glancing around the old kitchen. "Why not here?" roared Mr. Dugald. "As long as you've broken into our Secret Garden we'll introduce you to some things you've never done before in your life. Only Sid will have to find some suitable clothes for you, and you'd better leave your complexion on the dressing table."