Pollyanna

Eleanor H. Porter

CHAPTER VI. A QUESTION OF DUTY

[] It was nearly seven oclock when Pollyanna awoke that first day after her arrival. Her windows faced the south and the west, so she could not see the sun yet; but she could see the ha y blue of the !ornin" sky, and she knew that the day #ro!ised to be a fair one. $he little roo! was cooler now, and the air blew in fresh and sweet. %utside, the birds were twitterin" &oyously, and Pollyanna flew to the window to talk to the!. 'he saw then that down in the "arden her aunt was already out a!on" the rosebushes. (ith ra#id fin"ers, therefore, she !ade herself ready to &oin her. )own the attic stairs s#ed Pollyanna, leavin" both doors wide o#en. $hrou"h the hall, down the ne*t fli"ht, then ban" throu"h the front screened+door and around to the "arden, she ran. ,unt Polly, with the bent old !an, was leanin" over a rose+bush when Pollyanna, "ur"lin" with deli"ht, flun" herself u#on her. -%h, ,unt Polly, ,unt Polly, I reckon I a! "lad this !ornin" &ust to be alive. -Polly,//,. re!onstrated the lady, sternly, #ullin" herself as erect as she could with a dra""in" wei"ht of ninety #ounds han"in" about her neck. -Is this the usual way you say "ood !ornin"0 $he little "irl dro##ed to her toes, and danced li"htly u# and down. -/o, only when I love folks so I &ust cant hel# it. I saw you fro! !y window, ,unt Polly, and I "ot to thinkin" how you (E1E/$ a 2adies,ider, and you were !y really truly aunt; and you looked so "ood I &ust had to co!e down and hu" you. $he bent old !an turned his back suddenly. 3iss Polly atte!#ted a frown4with not her usual success. -Pollyanna, you4I $ho!as, that will do for this !ornin". I think you understand4about those rosebushes, she said stiffly. $hen she turned and walked ra#idly away. -)o you always work in the "arden, 3r.43an0 asked Pollyanna, interestedly. $he !an turned. His li#s were twitchin", but his eyes looked blurred as if with tears. -5es, 3iss. I! %ld $o!, the "ardener, he answered. $i!idly, but as if i!#elled by an irresistible force, he reached out a shakin" hand and let it rest for a !o!ent on her bri"ht hair. -5ou are so like your !other. little 3iss. I used ter know her when she was even littler than you be. 5ou see, I used ter work in the "arden4then. Pollyanna cau"ht her breath audibly. -5ou did0 ,nd you knew !y !other, really4when she was &ust a little earth an"el, and not a Heaven one0 %h, #lease tell !e about her. ,nd down #lu!#ed Pollyanna in the !iddle of the dirt #ath by the old !ans side. , bell sounded fro! the house. $he ne*t !o!ent /ancy was seen flyin" out the back door. -3iss Pollyanna, that bell !eans breakfast4!ornins, she #anted, #ullin" the little "irl to her feet and hurryin" her back to the house; -and other ti!es it !eans other !eals. 6ut it always !eans that youre ter run like ti!e when ye hear it, no !atter where ye be. If ye dont4well, itll take so!ethin s!artern we be ter find ,/5$HI/ ter be "lad about in that. she finished, shooin" Pollyanna into the house as she would shoo an unruly chicken

into a coo#. 6reakfast, for the first five !inutes, was a silent !eal; then 3iss Polly, her disa##rovin" eyes followin" the airy win"s of two flies dartin" here and there over the table, said sternly7 -/ancy, where did those flies co!e fro!0 -I dont know, !aa!. $here wasnt one in the kitchen. /ancy had been too e*cited to notice Pollyannas u#+flun" windows the afternoon before. -I reckon !aybe theyre !y flies, ,unt Polly, observed Pollyanna, a!iably. -$here were lots of the! this !ornin" havin" a beautiful ti!e u#stairs. /ancy left the roo! #reci#itately, thou"h to do so she had to carry out the hot !uffins she had &ust brou"ht in. -5ours. "as#ed 3iss Polly. -(hat do you !ean0 (here did they co!e fro!0 -(hy, ,unt Polly, they ca!e fro! out of doors of course, throu"h the windows. I ',( so!e of the! co!e in. -5ou saw the!. 5ou !ean you raised those windows without any screens0 -(hy, yes. $here werent any screens there, ,unt Polly. /ancy, at this !o!ent, ca!e in a"ain with the !uffins. Her face was "rave, but very red. -/ancy, directed her !istress, shar#ly, -you !ay set the !uffins down and "o at once to 3iss Pollyannas roo! and shut the windows. 'hut the doors, also. 2ater, when your !ornin" work is done, "o throu"h every roo! with the s#atter. 'ee that you !ake a thorou"h search. $o her niece she said7 -Pollyanna, I have ordered screens for those windows. I knew, of course, that it was !y duty to do that. 6ut it see!s to !e that you have 8uite for"otten 5%91 duty. -3y4duty0 Pollyannas eyes were wide with wonder. -:ertainly. I know it is war!, but I consider it your duty to kee# your windows closed till those screens co!e. ;lies, Pollyanna, are not only unclean and annoyin", but very dan"erous to health. ,fter breakfast I will "ive you a little #a!#hlet on this !atter to read. -$o read0 %h, thank you, ,unt Polly. I love to read. 3iss Polly drew in her breath audibly, then she shut her li#s to"ether hard. Pollyanna, seein" her stern face, frowned a little thou"htfully. -%f course I! sorry about the duty I for"ot, ,unt Polly, she a#olo"i ed ti!idly. -I wont raise the windows a"ain. Her aunt !ade no re#ly. 'he did not s#eak, indeed, until the !eal was over. $hen she rose, went to the bookcase in the sittin" roo!, took out a s!all #a#er booklet, and crossed the roo! to her nieces side. -$his is the article I s#oke of, Pollyanna. I desire you to "o to your roo! at once and read it. I will be u# in half an hour to look over your thin"s. Pollyanna, her eyes on the illustration of a flys head, !any ti!es !a"nified, cried &oyously7 -%h, thank you, ,unt Polly. $he ne*t !o!ent she ski##ed !errily fro! the roo!, ban"in" the door behind her. 3iss Polly frowned, hesitated, then crossed the roo! !a&estically and o#ened the door; but Pollyanna was already out of si"ht, clatterin" u# the attic stairs. Half an hour later when 3iss Polly, her face e*#ressin" stern duty in every line, cli!bed those stairs and entered Pollyannas roo!, she was "reeted with a burst of ea"er enthusias!.

-%h, ,unt Polly, I never saw anythin" so #erfectly lovely and interestin" in !y life. I! so "lad you "ave !e that book to read. (hy, I didnt su##ose flies could carry such a lot of thin"s on their feet, and4-$hat will do, observed ,unt Polly, with di"nity. -Pollyanna, you !ay brin" out your clothes now, and I will look the! over. (hat are not suitable for you I shall "ive to the 'ullivans, of course. and turned toward the closet. -I! afraid youll think theyre worse than the 2adies,id did4and $HE5 said they were sha!eful, she si"hed. -6ut there were !ostly thin"s for boys and older folks in the last two or three barrels; and 4did you ever have a !issionary barrel, ,unt Polly0 ,t her aunts look of shocked an"er, Pollyanna corrected herself at once. -(hy, no, of course you didnt, ,unt Polly. she hurried on, with a hot blush. -I for"ot; rich folks never have to have the!. 6ut you see so!eti!es I kind of for"et that you are rich4u# here in this roo!, you know. 3iss Pollys li#s #arted indi"nantly, but no words ca!e. Pollyanna, #lainly unaware that she had said anythin" in the least un#leasant, was hurryin" on. -(ell, as I was "oin" to say, you cant tell a thin" about !issionary barrels4e*ce#t that you wont find in -e! what you think youre "oin" to4even when you think you wont. It was the barrels every ti!e, too, that were hardest to #lay the "a!e on, for father and4<ust in ti!e Pollyanna re!e!bered that she was not to talk of her father to her aunt. 'he dived into her closetthen, hurriedly, and brou"ht out all the #oor little dresses in both her ar!s. -$hey arent nice, at all, she choked, -and theyd been black if it hadnt been for the red car#et for the church;but theyre all Ive "ot. (ith the ti#s of her fin"ers 3iss Polly turned over the con"lo!erate "ar!ents, so obviously !ade for anybody but Pollyanna. /e*t she bestowed frownin" attention on the #atched under"ar!ents in the bureau drawers. -Ive "ot the best ones on, confessed Pollyanna, an*iously. -$he 2adies ,id bou"ht !e one set strai"ht throu"h all whole. 3rs. <ones4shes the #resident4told -e! I should have that if they had to clatter down bare aisles the!selves the rest of their days. 6ut they wont. 3r. (hite doesnt like the noise. Hes "ot nerves, his wife says; but hes "ot !oney, too, and they e*#ect hell "ive a lot toward the car#et4on account of the nerves, you know. I should think hed be "lad that if he did have the nerves hed "ot !oney, too; shouldnt you0 3iss Polly did not see! to hear. Her scrutiny of the under"ar!ents finished, she turned to Pollyanna so!ewhat abru#tly. -5ou have been to school, of course, Pollyanna0 -%h, yes, ,unt Polly. 6esides, fath4I !ean, I was tau"ht at ho!e so!e, too. 3iss Polly frowned. -=ery "ood. In the fall you will enter school here, of course. 3r. Hall, the #rinci#al, will doubtless settle in which "rade you belon". 3eanwhile, I su##ose I ou"ht to hear you read aloud half an hour each day. -I love to read; but if you dont want to hear !e Id be &ust "lad to read to !yself4truly, ,unt Polly. ,nd I wouldnt have to half try to be "lad, either, for I like best to read to !yself4on account of the bi" words, you know. -I dont doubt it, re&oined 3iss Polly, "ri!ly. Have you studied !usic0

-/ot !uch. I dont like !y !usic4I like other #eo#les, thou"h. I learned to #lay on the #iano a little. 3iss >ray4she #lays for church4she tau"ht !e. 6ut Id &ust as soon let that "o as not, ,unt Polly. Id rather, truly. -=ery likely, observed ,unt Polly, with sli"htly u#lifted eyebrows. -/evertheless I think it is !y duty to see that you are #ro#erly instructed in at least the rudi!ents of !usic. 5ou sew, of course. -5es, !aa!. Pollyanna si"hed. $he 2adies ,id tau"ht !e that. 6ut I had an awful ti!e. 3rs. <ones didnt believe in holdin" your needle like the rest of -e! did on buttonholin", and 3rs. (hite thou"ht backstitchin" ou"ht to be tau"ht you before he!!in" ?or else the other way@, and 3rs. Harri!an didnt believe in #uttin" you on #atchwork ever, at all. -(ell, there will be no difficulty of that kind any lon"er, Pollyanna. I shall teach you sewin" !yself, of course. 5ou do not know how to cook, I #resu!e. Pollyanna lau"hed suddenly. -$hey were &ust be"innin" to teach !e that this su!!er, but I hadnt "ot far. $hey were !ore divided u# on that than they were on the sewin". $hey were >%I/> to be"in on bread; but there wasnt two of -e! that !ade it alike, so after ar"uin" it all one sewin"!eetin", they decided to take turns at !e one forenoon a week4in their own kitchens, you know. Id only learned chocolate fud"e and fi" cake, thou"h, when4when I had to sto#. Her voice broke. -:hocolate fud"e and fi" cake, indeed. scorned 3iss Polly. -I think we can re!edy that very soon. -'he #aused in thou"ht for a !inute, then went on slowly7 -,t nine oclock every !ornin" you will read aloud one half+hour to !e. 6efore that you will use the ti!e to #ut this roo! in order. (ednesday and 'aturday forenoons, after half #ast nine, you will s#end with /ancy in the kitchen, learnin" to cook. %ther !ornin"s you will sew with !e. $hat will leave the afternoons for your !usic. I shall, of course, #rocure a teacher at once for you, she finished decisively, as she arose fro! her chair. Pollyanna cried out in dis!ay. -%h, but ,unt Polly, ,unt Polly, you havent left !e any ti!e at all &ust to4to live. -$o live, child. (hat do you !ean0 ,s if you werent livin" all the ti!e. -%h, of course Id be 61E,$HI/> all the ti!e I was doin" those thin"s, ,unt Polly, but I wouldnt be livin". 5ou breathe all the ti!e youre aslee#, but you arent livin". I !ean livin"4doin" the thin"s you want to do7 #layin" outdoors, readin" ?to !yself, of course@, cli!bin" hills, talkin" to 3r. $o! in the "arden, and /ancy, and findin" out all about the houses and the #eo#le and everythin" everywhere all throu"h the #erfectly lovely streets I ca!e throu"h yesterday. $hats what I call livin", ,unt Polly. <ust breathin" isnt livin". 3iss Polly lifted her head irritably. -Pollyanna, you ,1E the !ost e*traordinary child. 5ou will be allowed a #ro#er a!ount of #layti!e, of course. 6ut, surely, it see!s to !e if I a! willin" to do!y duty in seein" that you have #ro#er care and instruction, 5%9 ou"ht to be willin" to do yours by seein" that that care and instruction are not un"ratefully wasted. Pollyanna looked shocked. []