"Thatshedidn’thaveanyhourstocount，youknow。"
　　"To——COUNT？"
　　"Yes；itwasthesundial。Didn’tItellyou？Yes，IknowI
　　did——aboutthewordsonit——notcountinganyhoursthatweren’tsunny，youknow。Andshesaidshewouldn’thaveANYhourstocount；thatthesunnevershoneforher。"
　　"Why，David，"demurredMr。Jackinavoicethatshookalittle，"areyousure？Didshesayjustthat？You——youmustbemistaken——whenshehas——haseverythingtomakeherhappy。"
　　"Iwasn’t，becauseIsaidthatsamethingtohermyself——afterwards。AndthenItoldher——whenIfoundoutmyself，youknow——aboutitsbeingwhatwasinsideofyou，afterall，thatcounted；andtheniswhenIaskedherifshecouldn’tthinkofsomethingnicethatwasgoingtohappentohersometime。"
　　"Well，whatdidshesay？"
　　"Sheshookherhead，andsaid’No。’Thenshelookedaway，andhereyesgotsoftanddarklikelittlepoolsinthebrookwherethewaterstopstorest。Andshesaidshehadhopedoncethatthissomethingwouldhappen；butthatithadn’t，andthatitwouldtakesomethingmorethanthinkingtobringit。AndIknownowwhatshemeant，becausethinkingisn’tallthatcounts，isit？"
　　Mr。Jackdidnotanswer。Hehadrisentohisfeet，andwaspacingrestlesslyupanddowntheveranda。OnceortwiceheturnedhiseyestowardthetowersofSunnycrest，andDavidnoticedthattherewasanewlookonhisface。
　　Verysoon，however，theoldtirednesscamebacktohiseyes，andhedroppedintohisseatagain，muttering"Fool！ofcourseitcouldn’tbe——that！"
　　"Bewhat？"askedDavid。
　　Mr。Jackstarted。
　　"Er——nothing；nothingthatyouwouldunderstand，David。Goon——withwhatyouweresaying。"
　　"Thereisn’tanymore。It’salldone。It’sonlythatI’mwonderinghowI’mgoingtolearnherethatit’sabeautifulworld，sothatIcan——tellfather。"
　　Mr。Jackrousedhimself。Hehadtheairofamanwhodeterminedlythrowstoonesideaheavyburden。
　　"Well，David，"hesmiled，"asIsaidbefore，youarestilloutonthatseawheretherearesomanylittleupturnedboats。Theremightbeagoodmanywaysofansweringthatquestion。"
　　"Mr。Hollysays，"musedtheboy，aloud，alittlegloomily，"thatitdoesn’tmakeanydifferencewhetherwefindthingsbeautifulornot；thatwe’reheretodosomethingseriousintheworld。"
　　"ThatisaboutwhatIshouldhaveexpectedofMr。Holly"retortedMr。Jackgrimly。"Heactsit——andlooksit。But——Idon’tbelieveyouaregoingtotellyourfatherjustthat。"
　　"No，sir，Idon’tbelieveIam，"accordedDavidsoberly。
　　"Ihaveanideathatyou’regoingtofindthatanswerjustwhereyourfathersaidyouwould——inyourviolin。Seeifyoudon’t。
　　Thingsthataren’tbeautifulyou’llmakebeautiful——becausewefindwhatwearelookingfor，andyou’relookingforbeautifulthings。Afterall，boy，ifwemarchstraightahead，chinup，andsingourownlittlesongwithallourmightandmain，weshan’tcomesofaramissfromthegoal，I’mthinking。There！that’spreaching，andIdidn’tmeantopreach；but——well，totellthetruth，thatwasmeantformyself，for——I’mhuntingforthebeautifulworld，too。"
　　"Yes，sir，Iknow，"returnedDavidfervently。AndagainMr。Jack，lookingintothesympathetic，glowingdarkeyes，wonderedif，afterall，Davidreallycould——know。
　　EvenyetMr。JackwasnotusedtoDavid；therewere"somanyofhim，"hetoldhimself。Thereweretheboy，theartist，andathirdpersonalitysoevanescentthatitdefiedbeingnamed。Theboywasjolly，impetuous，confidential，anddelightful——plainlyrevelinginallmanneroffunandfrolic。Theartistwasnothingbutabunchofnervousalertness，readytofindmelodyandrhythmineverypassingthoughtorflyingcloud。Thethird——thatbafflingthirdthatdefiedthenaming——wasadreamy，visionary，untouchablecreaturewhofloatedsofaraboveone’sheadthatone’shandcouldneverpullhimdowntogetagoodsquarechancetoseewhathedidlooklike。AllthisthoughtMr。JackashegazedintoDavid’sluminouseyes。
　　CHAPTERXX
　　THEUNFAMILIARWAY
　　InSeptemberDavidenteredthevillageschool。SchoolandDaviddidnotassimilateatonce。Veryconfidentlytheteachersettoworktogradehernewpupil；butshewasnotsoconfidentwhenshefoundthatwhileinLatinhewasperilouslynearherself（andinFrench——whichshewasnotrequiredtoteach——disastrouslybeyondher！），inUnitedStateshistoryheknewonlythebarestoutlinesofcertainportions，andcouldnotnameasinglebattleinanyofitswars。Inmoststudieshewasfarbeyondboysofhisownage，yetateveryturnsheencounteredthesepuzzlingspotsofdiscrepancy，whichrenderedgradingintheordinarywayoutofthequestion。
　　David’smethodsofrecitation，too，werepeculiar，andsomewhatdisconcerting。Healsodidnothesitatetospeakaloudwhenhechose，nortorisefromhisseatandmovetoanypartoftheroomasthewhimseizedhim。Intime，ofcourse，allthiswaschanged；
　　butitwasseveraldaysbeforetheboylearnedsotoconducthimselfthathedidnotshattertoatomsthepeaceandproprietyoftheschoolroom。
　　OutsideofschoolDavidhadlittleworktodonow，thoughtherewerestillleftafewlighttasksaboutthehouse。HomelifeattheHollyfarmhousewasthesameforDavid，yetwithadifference——thedifferencethatcomesfrombeingreallywantedinsteadofbeingmerelydutifullykept。Therewereotherdifferences，too，subtledifferencesthatdidnotshow，perhaps，butthatstillwerethere。
　　Mr。andMrs。Holly，morethanevernow，werelearningtolookattheworldthroughDavid’seyes。Oneday——onewonderfulday——theyevenwenttowalkinthewoodswiththeboy；andwheneverbeforehadSimeonHollylefthisworkforsofrivolousathingasawalkinthewoods！
　　Itwasnotaccomplished，however，withoutastruggle，asDavidcouldhavetold。ThedaywasaSaturday，clear，crisp，andbeautiful，withapromiseofOctoberintheair；andDavidfairlytingledtobefreeandaway。Mrs。Hollywasbaking——andthebirdssangunheardoutsideherpantrywindow。Mr。Hollywasdiggingpotatoes——andthecloudssailedunnoticedabovehishead。
　　AllthemorningDavidurgedandbegged。Ifforonce，justthisonce，theywouldleaveeverythingandcome，theywouldnotregretit，hewassure。Buttheyshooktheirheadsandsaid，"No，no，impossible！"Intheafternoonthepiesweredoneandthepotatoesdug，andDavidurgedandpleadedagain。Ifonce，onlythisonce，theywouldgotowalkwithhiminthewoods，hewouldbesohappy，soveryhappy！Andtopleasetheboy——theywent。
　　Itwasacuriouswalk。EllenHollytrodsoftly，withtimidfeet。
　　Shethrewhurried，frightenedglancesfromsidetoside。ItwasplainthatEllenHollydidnotknowhowtoplay。SimeonHollystalkedatherelbow，stern，silent，andpreoccupied。ItwasplainthatSimeonHollynotonlydidnotknowhowtoplay，butdidnotevencaretofindout。
　　Theboytrippedaheadandtalked。Hehadtheairofamonarchdisplayinghiskingdom。Ononesidewasabitofmossworthyoftheclosestattention；onanother，avinethatcarriedallurementineverytendril。Herewasaflowerthatwaslikeastoryforinterest，andtherewasabushthatboreasecretworththetelling。EvenSimeonHollyglowedintoasemblanceoflifewhenDavidhadunerringlypickedoutandcalledbynamethespruce，andfir，andpine，andlarch，andthen，inanswertoMrs。Holly’smurmured："But，David，where’sthedifference？Theylooksomuchalike！"hehadsaid：——
　　"Oh，buttheyaren’t，youknow。Justseehowmuchmorepointedatthetopthatfiristhanthatsprucebackthere；andthebranchesgrowstraightout，too，likearms，andthey’reallsmoothandtaperingattheendslikeapussy-cat’stail。Butthesprucebackthere——ITSbranchesturneddownandout——didn’tyounotice？——andthey’reallbushyattheendslikeasquirrel’stail。Oh，they’relotsdifferent！That’salarch’wayahead——thatonewiththebranchesallscragglyandclosedowntotheground。
　　Icouldstarttoclimbthateasy；butIcouldn’tthatpineoverthere。See，it’s’wayup，up，beforethere’saplaceforyourfoot！ButIlovepines。UpthereonthemountainswhereIlived，thepinesweresotallthatitseemedasifGodusedthemsometimestoholdupthesky。"
　　AndSimeonHollyheard，andsaidnothing；andthathedidsaynothing——especiallynothinginanswertoDavid’sconfidentassertionsconcerningcelestialandterrestrialarchitecture——onlygoestoshowhowwell，indeed，themanwaslearningtolookattheworldthroughDavid’seyes。
　　NorweretheseallofDavid’sfriendstowhomMr。andMrs。Hollywereintroducedonthatmemorablewalk。Therewerethebirds，andthesquirrels，and，infact，everythingthathadlife。Andeachonehegreetedjoyouslybyname，ashewouldgreetafriendwhosehomeandhabitsheknew。Herewasawonderfulwoodpecker，therewasabeautifulbluejay。Ahead，thatbrilliantbitofcolorthatflashedacrosstheirpathwasatanager。Once，farupinthesky，astheycrossedanopenspace，Davidspiedalongblackstreakmovingsouthward。
　　"Oh，see！"heexclaimed。"Thecrows！Seethem？——’wayupthere？
　　Wouldn’titbefunifwecoulddothat，andflyhundredsandhundredsofmiles，maybeathousand？"
　　"Oh，David，"remonstratedMrs。Holly，unbelievingly。
　　"Buttheydo！Theselookasifthey’dstartedontheirwinterjourneySouth，too；butiftheyhave，they’reearly。Mostofthemdon’tgotillOctober。TheycomebackinMarch，youknow。ThoughI’vehadthem，onthemountain，thatstayedalltheyearwithme。"
　　"My！butIlovetowatchthemgo，"murmuredDavid，hiseyesfollowingtherapidlydisappearingblackline。"Lotsofbirdsyoucan’tsee，youknow，whentheystartfortheSouth。Theyflyatnight——thewoodpeckersandoriolesandcuckoos，andlotsofothers。They’reafraid，Iguess，don’tyou？ButI’veseenthem。
　　I’vewatchedthem。Theytelleachotherwhenthey’regoingtostart。"
　　"Oh，David，"remonstratedMrs。Holly，again，hereyesreproving，butplainlyenthralled。
　　"Buttheydotelleachother，"claimedtheboy，withsparklingeyes。"Theymust！For，allofasudden，somenight，you’llhearthesignal，andthenthey’llbegintogatherfromalldirections。
　　I’veseenthem。Then，suddenly，they’reallupandofftotheSouth——notinonebigflock，butbrokenupintolittleflocks，followingoneafteranother，withsuchabeautifulwhirofwings。
　　Oof——OOF——OOF！——andthey’regone！AndIdon’tseethemagaintillnextyear。Butyou’veseentheswallows，haven’tyou？Theygointhedaytime，andthey’retheeasiesttotellofanyofthem。Theyflysoswiftandstraight。Haven’tyouseentheswallowsgo？"
　　"Why，I——Idon’tknow，David，"murmuredMrs。Holly，withahelplessglanceatherhusbandstalkingonahead。"I——Ididn’tknowthereweresuchthingsto——toknow。"
　　Therewasmore，muchmore，thatDavidsaidbeforethewalkcametoanend。Andthough，whenitdidend，neitherSimeonHollynorhiswifesaidawordofitshavingbeenapleasureoraprofit，therewasyetontheirfacessomethingofthepeaceandrestandquietnessthatbelongedtothewoodstheyhadleft。
　　Itwasabeautifulmonth——thatSeptember，andDavidmadethemostofit。Outofschoolmeantoutofdoorsforhim。HesawMr。JackandJilloften。Hespentmuchtime，too，withtheLadyoftheRoses。ShewasstilltheLadyoftheROSEStoDavid，thoughinthegardennowwerethepurpleandscarletandyellowoftheasters，salvia，andgoldenglow，insteadoftheblushandperfumeoftheroses。
　　DavidwasverymuchathomeatSunnycrest。Hewaswelcome，heknew，togowherehepleased。Eventheservantswerekindtohim，aswellaswastheelderlycousinwhomheseldomsaw，butwho，heknew，livedthereascompanyforhisLadyoftheRoses。
　　Perhapsbest，nexttothegarden，Davidlovedthetowerroom；
　　possiblybecauseMissHolbrookherselfsooftensuggestedthattheygothere。Anditwastherethattheywerewhenhesaid，dreamily，oneday：——
　　"Ilikethisplace——upheresohigh，onlysometimesitdoesmakemethinkofthatPrincess，becauseitwasinatowerlikethisthatshewas，youknow。"
　　"Fairystories，David？"askedMissHolbrooklightly。
　　"No，notexactly，thoughtherewasaPrincessinit。Mr。Jacktoldit。"David’seyeswerestilloutofthewindow。
　　"Oh，Mr。Jack！AnddoesMr。Jackoftentellyoustories？"
　　"No。Henevertoldonlythisone——andmaybethat’swhyIrememberitso。"
　　"Well，andwhatdidthePrincessdo？"MissHolbrook’svoicewasstilllight，stillcarelesslypreoccupied。Herattention，plainly，wasgiventothesewinginherhand。
　　"Shedidn’tdoandthat’swhatwasthetrouble，"sighedIDavid。
　　"Shedidn’twave，youknow。"
　　TheneedleinMissHolbrook’sfingersstoppedshortinmid-air，thethreadhalf-drawn。
　　"Didn’t——wave！"shestammered。"Whatdoyou——mean？"
　　"Nothing，"laughedtheboy，turningawayfromthewindow。"I
　　forgotthatyoudidn’tknowthestory。"
　　"ButmaybeIdo——thatis——whatwasthestory？"askedMissHolbrook，wettingherlipsasiftheyhadgrownsuddenlyverydry。
　　"Oh，doyou？Iwondernow！Itwasn’t’ThePRINCEandthePauper，’butthePRINCESSandthePauper，"citedDavid；"andtheyusedtowavesignals，andanswerwithflags。Doyouknowthestory？"
　　Therewasnoanswer。MissHolbrookwasputtingawayherwork，hurriedly，andwithhandsthatshook。Davidnoticedthatsheevenprickedherselfinheranxietytogettheneedletuckedaway。
　　Thenshedrewhimtoalowstoolatherside。
　　"David，Iwantyoutotellmethatstory，please，"shesaid，"justasMr。Jacktoldittoyou。Now，becarefulandputitallin，becauseI——Iwanttohearit，"shefinished，withanoddlittlelaughthatseemedtobringtwobrightredspotstohercheeks。
　　"Oh，doyouwanttohearit？ThenIwilltellit，"criedDavidjoyfully。ToDavid，almostasdelightfulastohearastorywastotellonehimself。"Yousee，first——"Andheplungedheadlongintotheintroduction。
　　Davidknewitwell——thatstory：andtherewas，perhaps，littlethatheforgot。ItmightnothavebeenalwaystoldinMr。Jack’slanguage；buthismeaningwasthere，andveryintentlyMissHolbrooklistenedwhileDavidtoldoftheboyandthegirl，thewavings，andtheflagsthatwereblue，black，andred。Shelaughedonce，——thatwasatthelittlejokewiththebellsthatthegirlplayed，——butshedidnotspeakuntilsometimelaterwhenDavidwastellingofthefirsthome-comingofthePrincess，andofthetimewhentheboyonhistinypiazzawatchedandwatchedinvainforawavingwhitesignalfromthetower。
　　"Doyoumeantosay，"interposedMissHolbrookthen，almoststartingtoherfeet，"thatthatboyexpected——"Shestoppedsuddenly，andfellbackinherchair。Thetworedspotsonhercheekshadbecomearosyglownow，alloverherface。
　　"Expectedwhat？"askedDavid。
　　"N——nothing。Goon。Iwasso——sointerested，"explainedMissHolbrookfaintly。"Goon。"
　　AndDaviddidgoon；nordidthestorylosebyhistelling。Itgained，indeed，something，fornowithadwoventhroughittheverystrongsympathyofaboywholovedthePauperforhissorrowandhatedthePrincessforcausingthatsorrow。
　　"Andso，"heconcludedmournfully，"youseeitisn’taverynicestory，afterall，foritdidn’tendwellabit。Theyoughttohavegotmarriedandlivedhappyeverafter。Buttheydidn’t。"
　　MissHolbrookdrewinherbreathalittleuncertainly，andputherhandtoherthroat。Herfacenow，insteadofbeingred，wasverywhite。
　　"But，David，"shefaltered，afteramoment，"perhapshe——the——Pauper——didnot——notlovethePrincessanylonger。"
　　"Mr。Jacksaidthathedid。"
　　Thewhitefacewentsuddenlypinkagain。
　　"Then，whydidn’thegotoherand——and——tellher？"
　　Davidliftedhischin。Withallhisdignityheanswered，andhiswordsandaccentwereMr。Jack’s。
　　"Paupersdon’tgotoPrincesses，andsay"Iloveyou。’"
　　"Butperhapsiftheydid——thatis——if——"MissHolbrookbitherlipsanddidnotfinishhersentence。Shedidnot，indeed，sayanythingmoreforalongtime。Butshehadnotforgottenthestory。Davidknewthat，becauselatershebegantoquestionhimcarefullyaboutmanylittlepoints——pointsthathewasverysurehehadalreadymadequiteplain。Shetalkedaboutit，indeed，untilhewonderedifperhapssheweregoingtotellittosomeoneelsesometime。Heaskedherifshewere；butsheonlyshookherhead。Andafterthatshedidnotquestionhimanymore。AndalittlelaterDavidwenthome。
　　CHAPTERXXI
　　HEAVYHEARTS
　　ForaweekDavidhadnotbeenneartheHousethatJackBuilt，andthat，too，whenJillhadbeenconfinedwithindoorsforseveraldayswithacold。Jill，indeed，wasinclinedtobegrievedatthisapparentlackofinterestonthepartofherfavoriteplayfellow；butuponherreturnfromherfirstdayofschool，afterherrecovery，shemetherbrotherwithstartledeyes。
　　"Jack，ithasn’tbeenDavid’sfaultatall，"shecriedremorsefully。"He’ssick。"
　　"Sick！"
　　"Yes；awfullysick。They’vehadtosendawayfordoctorsandeverything。"
　　"Why，Jill，areyousure？Wheredidyouhearthis？"
　　"Atschoolto-day。Everyonewastalkingaboutit。"
　　"Butwhatisthematter？"
　　"Fever——somesort。Somesayit’styphoid，andsomescarlet，andsomesayanotherkindthatIcan’tremember；buteverybodysayshe’sawfullysick。HegotitdowntoGlaspell’s，somesay，——andsomesayhedidn’t。But，anyhow，BettyGlaspellhasbeensickwithsomething，andtheyhaven’tletfolksintherethisweek，"
　　finishedJill，hereyesbigwithterror。
　　"TheGlaspells？ButwhatwasDaviddoingdownthere？"
　　"Why，youknow，——hetoldusonce，——teachingJoetoplay。He’sbeentherelots。Joeisblind，youknow，andcan’tsee，buthejustlovesmusic，andwascrazyoverDavid’sviolin；soDavidtookdownhisotherone——theonethatwashisfather’s，youknow——andshowedhimhowtopickoutlittletunes，justtotakeuphistimesohewouldn’tmindsomuchthathecouldn’tsee。
　　Now，Jack，wasn’tthatjustlikeDavid？Jack，Ican’thaveanythinghappentoDavid！"
　　"No，dear，no；ofcoursenot！I’mafraidwecan’tanyofus，forthatmatter，"sighedJack，hisforeheaddrawnintoanxiouslines。"I’llgodowntotheHollys’，Jill，thefirstthingtomorrowmorning，andseehowheisandifthere’sanythingwecando。Meanwhile，don’ttakeittoomuchtoheart，dear。Itmaynotbehalfsobadasyouthink。School-childrenalwaysgetthingslikethatexaggerated，youmustremember，"hefinished，speakingwithalightnessthathedidnotfeel。
　　Tohimselfthemanownedthathewastroubled，seriouslytroubled。HehadtoadmitthatJill’sstoryboretheearmarksoftruth；andoverwhelminglyherealizednowjusthowbigaplacethissomewhatpuzzlingsmallboyhadcometofillinhisownheart。HedidnotneedJill’sanxious"Now，hurry，Jack，"thenextmorningtostarthimoffinallhastefortheHollyfarmhouse。AdozenrodsfromthedrivewayhemetPerryLarsonandstoppedhimabruptly。
　　"Goodmorning，Larson；Ihopethisisn’ttrue——whatIhear——thatDavidisveryill。"
　　Larsonpulledoffhishatandwithhisfreehandsoughttheoneparticularspotonhisheadtowhichhealwaysappealedwhenhewasverymuchtroubled。
　　"Well，yes，sir，I’mafraid’tis，Mr。Jack——er——Mr。Gurnsey，I
　　mean。Heisturriblesick，poorlittlechap，an’it’stoobad——that’swhatitis——toobad！"
　　"Oh，I’msorry！Ihopedthereportwasexaggerated。Icamedowntoseeif——iftherewasn’tsomethingIcoulddo。"
　　"Well，’courseyoucanask——thereain’tnolawag’in’that；an’
　　yeneedn’tbeafraid，neither。Thereporthasgot’roundthatit’sketchin’——whathe’sgot，andthathegotitdowntotheGlaspells’；but’tain’tso。Thedoctorsayshedidn’tketchnothin’，an’hecan’tgivenothin’。It’shisheadan’brainthatain’tright，an’he’sgotamightybadfever。He’sbeenkindofflightyan’nervous，anyhow，lately。
　　"AsIwassayin’，’courseyoucanask，butI’mthinkin’therewon’tbenothin’youcandoterhelp。Ev’rythin’thatcanbedoneisbein’done。Infact，thereain’tmuchofanythin’elsethatisbein’donedowntherejestnowbut，tendin’terhim。They’vegotoneo’them’ereedyercatednursesfromtheJunction——whatwearscaps，yeknow，an’makesyerfeelasiftheyknewitall，an’youdidn’tknownothin’。An’thenthere’sMr。an’Mis’Hollybesides。IftheyhadTHEIRway，therewouldn’tneitherof，emlethimouto’theirsightfuraminute，they’rethatcutupaboutit。"
　　"Ifancytheythinkagooddealoftheboy——aswealldo，"
　　murmuredtheyoungerman，alittleunsteadily。
　　Larsonwinkledhisforeheadindeepthought。
　　"Yes；an’that’swhatbeatsme，"heansweredslowly；"’boutHIM，——Mr。Holly，Imean。’Coursewe’d’a’expecteditofHER——losin’herownboyasshedid，an’bein’jestnaturallysosweetan’lovin’-hearted。ButHIM——that’sdiff’rent。Now，youknowjestaswellasIdowhatMr。Hollyis——everyonedoes，soI
　　ain’tsayin’nothin’sland’rous。He’sagoodman——apowerfulgoodman；an’thereain’tasquarermangoin’terworkfur。Butthefactis，hewasmadeupwrongsideout，an’theseamshasalwaysshowedbad——turriblebad，withravelin’sallstickin’outeverywhichwayterketchan’pull。But，gosh！I’mblamedifthat，ereboyain’tgothimsosmootheddown，youwouldn’tknow，scursely，thathehadaseamonhim，sometimes；thoughhowhe’sdoneitbeatsme。Now，there’sMis’Holly——she’striedtersmooth’em，I’llwarrant，lotsoftimes。ButI’mfreetersayshehain’tneversomuchasclippedaravelin’inallthemfortyyearsthey’velivedtergether。Factis，it’sworkedtheotherwaywithher。AllthatHERrubbin’upag’in’themseamshasamountedtoistergitherselfsosmootheddownthatshedon’tneverdaretersayhersoul’sherown，mostgenerally，——anyhow，notifhehappensterintermateitbelongsteranybodyelse！"
　　JackGurnseysuddenlychokedoveracough。
　　"IwishIcould——dosomething，"hemurmureduncertainly。
　　"’Tain’tlikelyyecan——notsolongasMr。an’Mis’Hollyisontheirtwofeet。Why，thereain’tnothin’theywon’tdo，an’
　　you’llbelieveit，maybe，whenItellyouthatyesterdayMr。
　　Holly，hetrampedallthroughSawyer’swoodsintherain，jestterfindalittlebitofmossthattheboywascallin’for。Thinko’that，willye？SimeonHollyhuntin’moss！An’hegotit，too，an’brungithome，an’theysayitcuthimupsomethin’turriblewhentheboyjestturnedaway，anddidn’ttakenonotice。Youunderstand，’course，sir，thelittlechapain’trightinhishead，an’sohalfthetimehedon’tknowwhathesays。"
　　"Oh，I’msorry，sorry！"exclaimedGurnsey，asheturnedaway，andhurriedtowardthefarmhouse。
　　Mrs。Hollyherselfansweredhislowknock。Shelookedwornandpale。
　　"Thankyou，sir，"shesaidgratefully，inreplytohisofferofassistance，"butthereisn’tanythingyoucando，Mr。Gurnsey。
　　We’rehavingeverythingdonethatcanbe，andeveryoneisverykind。Wehaveaverygoodnurse，andDr。KennedyhashadconsultationwithDr。BensonfromtheJunction。Theyaredoingallintheirpower，ofcourse，buttheysaythat——thatit’sgoingtobethenursingthatwillcountnow。"
　　"ThenIdon’tfearforhim，surely"declaredtheman，withfervor。
　　"Iknow，but——well，heshallhavetheverybestpossible——ofthat。"
　　"Iknowhewill；butisn’tthereanything——anythingthatIcando？"
　　Sheshookherhead。
　　"No。Ofcourse，ifhegetsbetter——"Shehesitated；thenliftedherchinalittlehigher；"WHENhegetsbetter，"shecorrectedwithcourageousemphasis，"hewillwanttoseeyou。"
　　"Andheshallseeme，"assertedGurnsey。"Andhewillbebetter，Mrs。Holly，——I’msurehewill。"
　　"Yes，yes，ofcourse，only——oh，Mr。Jack，he’ssosick——soverysick！Thedoctorsayshe’sapeculiarlysensitivenature，andthathethinkssomething’sbeentroublinghimlately。"Hervoicebroke。
　　"Poorlittlechap！"Mr。Jack’svoice，too，washusky。
　　Shelookedupwithswiftgratefulnessforhissympathy。
　　"Andyoulovedhim，too，Iknow"shechoked。"Hetalksofyouoften——veryoften。"
　　"IndeedIlovehim！Whocouldhelpit？"
　　"Therecouldn’tanybody，Mr。Jack，——andthat’sjustit。Now，sincehe’sbeensick，we’vewonderedmorethaneverwhoheis。
　　Yousee，Ican’thelpthinkingthatsomewherehe’sgotfriendswhooughttoknowabouthim——now。"
　　"Yes，Isee，"noddedtheman。
　　"Heisn’tanordinaryboy，Mr。Jack。He’sbeentrainedinlotsofways——abouthismanners，andatthetable，andallthat。Andlotsofthingshisfatherhastoldhimarebeautiful，justbeautiful！Heisn’tatramp。Heneverwasone。Andthere’shisplaying。YOUknowhowhecanplay。"
　　"IndeedIdo！Youmustmisshisplaying，too。"
　　"Ido；hetalksofthat，also，"shehurriedon，workingherfingersnervouslytogether；"butoftenesthe——hespeaksofsinging，andIcan’tquiteunderstandthat，forhedidn’teversing，youknow。"
　　"Singing？Whatdoeshesay？"Themanaskedthequestionbecausehesawthatitwasaffordingtheoverwroughtlittlewomanrealrelieftofreehermind；butatthefirstwordsofherreplyhebecamesuddenlyalert。
　　"It’s’hissong，’ashecallsit，thathetalksabout，always。Itisn’tmuch——whathesays——butInoticeditbecausehealwayssaysthesamething，likethis：I’lljustholdupmychinandmarchstraightonandon，andI’llsingitwithallmymightandmain。’AndwhenIaskhimwhathe’sgoingtosing，healwayssays，’Mysong——mysong，’justlikethat。Doyouthink，Mr。Jack，hedidhave——asong？"
　　Foramomentthemandidnotanswer。Somethinginhisthroattightened，andheldthewords。Then，inalowvoicehemanagedtostammer：——
　　"Ithinkhedid，Mrs。Holly，and——Ithinkhesangit，too。"Thenextmoment，withaquickliftingofhishatandamurmured"I’llcallagainsoon，"heturnedandwalkedswiftlydownthedriveway。
　　Soveryswiftly，indeed，wasMr。Jackwalking，andsoself-absorbedwashe，thathedidnotseethecarriageuntilitwasalmostuponhim；thenhesteppedasidetoletitpass。Whathesawashegravelyraisedhishatwasahandsomespanofblackhorses，aliveriedcoachman，andapairofstartledeyeslookingstraightintohis。WhathedidnotseewasthequickgesturewithwhichMissHolbrookalmostorderedhercarriagestoppedtheminuteithadpassedhimby。
　　CHAPTERXXII
　　ASPERRYSAWIT
　　Onebyonethedayspassed，andtherecamefromtheanxiouswatchersatDavid’sbedsideonlythewords，"There’sverylittlechange。"OftenJackGurnseywenttothefarmhousetoinquirefortheboy。Often，too，hesawPerryLarson；andPerrywasneverloathtotalkofDavid。ItwasfromPerry，indeed，thatGurnseybegantolearnsomethingsofDavidthathehadneverknownbefore。
　　"Itdoesbeatall，"PerryLarsonsaidtohimoneday，"howmanyfolksasksmehowthatboyis——folksthatyou’dneverthinkknewhim，anyhow，tersaynothin’ofcarin’whetherhelivedordied。
　　Now，there’soldMis’Somers，furinstance。YOUknowwhatsheis——sourasalemonan’puckeryasachokecherry。Well，ifshedidn’tgivemeyesterdayagreatbo-kayo’posiesshe’dgrowedherself，an’saidtheywasfurhim——thattheyberlongedterhim，anyhow。
　　"’Course，Ididn’texactlysensewhatshemeantbythat，soI
　　askedherstraightout；an’itseemsthatsomehow，whentheboyfirstcome，hestruckherplaceonedayan’spiedagreatbigredroseononeofherbushes。Itseemshehadhisfiddle，an’he，playedit，——thatrosea-growin’（youknowhisway！），an’sheheardan’spokeupprettysharpan’askedhimwhatintimehewasdoin’。Well，mostkidswould’a’run，——knowin’hertemperastheydoes，——butnotmuchDavid。Hestandsupaspertasyeplease，an’
　　tellsherhowhappythatredrosemustbetermakeallthatdrearygardenlooksopretty；an’thenhegoeson，merryasalark，a-playin’downthehill。
　　"Well，Mis’Somersowneduptermethatshewasprettymadatthetime，’causehergardendidlookliketunket，an’sheknewit。
　　Shesaidshehadn’tcaredterdoathingwithitsinceherBessiediedthatthoughtsomuchofit。ButafterwhatDavidhadsaid，evenmadasshewas，thethingkindo’gotonhernerves，an’shecouldn’tseeathing，dayornight，butthatredrosea-growin’theresopertan’courageous-like，untilatlast，jestterquietherself，shefairlyhadtersettoan’slickthatgardenup！Shesaidsherakedan’weeded，an’fixedupalltheplantstherewas，ingoodshape，an’thenshesentdowntotheJunctionfursomeallgrowedinpots，’cause’twastoolateterplantseeds。An，nowit’sdoin’beautiful，soshejestcouldn’thelpsendin’themposiesterDavid。WhenItoldMis’Holly，shesaidshewasgladithappened，’causewhatMis’Somersneededwassomethin’tergitheroutofherself——an’I’mfreetersayshedidlookbetter-natured，an’nomistake，——kindo’likeachokecherryinblossom，yemightsay。"
　　"An’thenthere’stheWidderGlaspell，"continuedPerry，afterapause。"’Course，anyonewouldexpectshe’dfeelbad，seein’ashowgoodDavidwasterherboy——teachin’himterplay，yeknow。
　　ButMis’GlaspellsaysJoejestdoestakeonsomethin’turrible，an’hewon’ttechthefiddle，thoughhewasplumcarriedawaywithitwhenDavidwaswellan’teachin’ofhim。An’there’stheClarkkid。He’slame，yeknow，an’hethoughttheworldan’allofDavid’splayin’。
　　"’Course，there’syouan’MissHolbrook，alwaysaskin’an’
　　sendin’things——butthatain’tsostrange，’causeyouwas’speciallyhisfriends。Butit’sthemotherswhatbeatsme。
　　Why，somedaysit’s’mostev’rysoulImeet，jestaskin’howheis，an’sayin’theyhopeshe’llgitwell。Sometimesit’skidsthathe’splayedto，an’I’llbetriggeredifoneof’emonedaydidn’thavenoexcusetoofferexceptthatDavidhadfithim——’boutacat，orsomethin’——an’thateversincethenhe’dthoughtaheapofhim——thoughheguessedDaviddidn’tknowit。
　　Listenterthat，willye！
　　"An’onceawomanheldmeup，an’tookonturrible，butallI
　　couldgitfromherwasthathe’dsatonherdoorstepan’playedterherbabyonceortwice；——asifthatwasanythin’！Butoneofthederndestfunnyoneswasthewomanwhosaidshecouldwashherdishesasighteasieraftershe’da-seenhimgobyplayin’。TherewasBillDowd，too。YouknowhereallyHASgotascrewlooseinhisheadsomewheres，an’thereain’tanyonebutwhatsayshe’sthetownfool，allright。Well，whatdoyethinkHEsaid？"
　　Mr。Jackshookhishead。
　　"Well，hesaidhedidhopeashownothin’wouldhappenterthatboycausehedidsoliketerseehimsmile，an’thathealwaysdidsmileeverytimehemethim！There，whatdoyethinko’
　　that？"
　　"Well，Ithink，Perry，"returned。Mr。Jacksoberly，"thatBillDowdwasn’tplayingthefool，whenhesaidthat，quitesomuchashesometimesis，perhaps。"
　　"Hm-m，maybenot，"murmuredPerryLarsonperplexedly。"Still，I’mfreetersayIdothink’twaskindo’queer。"Hepaused，thenslappedhiskneesuddenly。"Say，didItellyeaboutStreeter——OldBillStreeteran’thepeartree？"
　　AgainMr。Jackshookhishead。
　　"Well，then，I’mgoin’to，"declaredtheother，withgleefulemphasis。"An’，say，Idon’tbelieveevenYOUcanexplainthis——I
　　don’t！Well，youknowStreeter——ev’ryonedoes，soIain’tsayin’
　　nothin’sland’rous。Hewascutonabias，an’thatbiasrunstermoneyeverytime。YouknowaswellasIdothathewon’tlifthisfingerunlessthere’sadollarstickin’toit，an’thathehain’tnousefuranythin’noranybodyunlessthere’smoneyinitforhim。I’mblamedifIdon’tthinkthatifheevergitsterheaven，he’llpluckhisownwingsan’sellthefeathersfurwhatthey’llbring。"
　　"Oh，Perry！"remonstratedMr。Jack，inahalf-stifledvoice。
　　PerryLarsononlygrinnedandwentonimperturbably。
　　"Well，seein’aswebothunderstandwhatheis，I’lltellyewhatheDONE。Hecalledmeupterhisfenceoneday，bigaslife，an’
　　sayshe，’How’stheboy？’An’youcould’a’knockedmedownwithafeather。Streeter——a-askin’howaboywasthatwassick！An’heseemedtercare，too。Ihain’tseenhimlooksolongfacedsince——sincehewaspaiduponasartinnoteIknowsof，jestashewassmackin’hislipsoveranicefatfarmthatwascomin’tohim！
　　"Well，IwasthatplumpuzzledthatImeantterfindoutwhyStreeterwastakin’sechnotice，ifIhungfurit。SoIsettoonalittledetectiveworkofmyown，knowin’，ofcourse，that’twa’n’tnouseaskin’ofhimhimself。Well，an’whatdoyous’poseIfoundout？Ifthatlittlescampofaboyhadn’tevengotroundhim——Streeter，theskinflint！Hehad——an’hewentthereoften，theneighborssaid；an’Streeterdotedonhim。Theydeclaredthatactuallyhegivehimacentonce——thoughTHATpartIain’tswallerin’yet。
　　"Theysaid——theneighborsdid——thatitallstartedfromthepeartree——thatbigonetertheleftofhishouse。Maybeyourememberit。Well，anyhow，itseemsthatit’sold，an’throughbearin’anyfruit，thoughitstillblossomsfitterkill，everyyear，onlyalittlelate’mostalways，an’theblossomsstayonlonger’ncommon，asiftheyknewtherewa’n’tnothin’doin’later。Well，oldStreetersaidithadgottercomedown。Ireckonhesuspecteditofswipin’someofthesunshine，ormaybealittlerainthatbelongedterthetreet’othersideoftheroadwhatdidbearfruitan’wasworthsomethin’！Anyhow，hegothismanan’hisaxe，an’wasplumreadyterstartinwhenheseesDavidan’Davidseeshim。
　　"’Twaswhentheboyfirstcome。He’dgoneterwalkan’hadstruckthispeartree，allinbloom，——an’’course，YOUknowhowtheboywouldact——apeartree，bloomin’，isalikelysight，I’llown。Hedancedandlaughedandclappedhishands，——hedidn’thavehisfiddlewithhim，——an’carriedonlikeallpossessed。
　　Thenheseesthemanwiththeaxe，an’Streeteran’Streeterseeshim。
　　"Theysaiditwasrichthen——BillWarnerhearditallfromt’othersideofthefence。HesaidthatDavid，whenhefoundoutwhatwasgoin’terhappen，wentcleancrazy，an’rampagedonatsucharatethatoldStreetercouldn’tdonothin’butstandan’
　　stare，untilhefinallymanagedtergrowlout：’ButItellye，boy，thetreeain’tnousenomore！’
　　"Billsaystheboyflewalltopiecesthen。’Nouse——nouse！’hecries；’suchaperfectlybeautifulthingasthatnouse！Why，itdon’thaveterbeanyusewhenit’ssopretty。It’sjestterlookatan’love，an’behappywith！’Fancysayin’thatteroldStreeter！I’dliketerseenhisface。ButBillsaysthatwa’n’thalfwhattheboysaid。Hedeclaredthat’twasGod’spresent，anyhow，thattreeswas；an’thatthethingsHegiveusterlookatwasjestasmuchuseasthethingsHegiveustereat；an’
　　thatthestarsan’thesunsetsan’thesnowflakesan’thelittlewhitecloud-boats，an’Idon’tknowwhat-all，wasjestasimportantintheOrchestraofLifeasturnipsan’squashes。An’
　　then，Billysays，heendedbyjestflingin’himselfonterStreeteran’beggin’himterwaittillhecouldgobackan’githisfiddlesohecouldtellhimwhatabeautifulthingthattreewas。
　　"Well，ifyou’llbelieveit，oldStreeterwassoplumbefuzzledhesentthemanan’theaxeaway——an’thattree’sa-livin’
　　ter-day——’tis！"hefinished；then，withasuddengloomonhisface，Larsonadded，huskily："An’IonlyhopeI’llbesayin’thesamethingofthatboy——comenextmonthatthistime！"
　　"We’llhopeyouwill，"sighedtheotherfervently。
　　Andsoonebyonethedayspassed，whilethewholetownwaitedandwhileinthegreatairy"parlorbedroom"oftheHollyfarmhouseonesmallboyfoughthisbattleforlife。Thencametheblackestdayandnightofallwhenthetowncouldonlywaitandwatch——ithadlostitshope；whenthedoctorsshooktheirheadsandrefusedtomeetMrs。Holly’seyes；whenthepulseintheslimwristoutsidethecoverletplayedhide-and-seekwiththecool，persistentfingersthatsoughtsoearnestlyforit；whenPerryLarsonsatforuncountedsleeplesshoursbythekitchenstove，andfearfullylistenedforastepcrossingthehallway；whenMr。
　　Jackonhisporch，andMissHolbrookinhertowerwidow，wentwithDaviddownintothedarkvalley，andcamesoneartherushingriverthatlife，withitspettypridesandprejudices，couldneverseemquitethesametothemagain。
　　Then，afterthatblackestdayandnight，camethedawn——asthedawnsdocomeaftertheblackestofdaysandnights。Intheslenderwristoutsidethecoverletthepulsegainedandsteadied。
　　Ontheforeheadbeneaththenurse’sfingers，amoisturecame。Thedoctorsnoddedtheirheadsnow，andlookedeveryonestraightintheeye。"Hewilllive，"theysaid。"Thecrisisispassed。"OutbythekitchenstovePerryLarsonheardthestepcrossthehallandsprangupright；butatthefirstglimpseofMrs。Holly’stear-wet，yetradiantface，hecollapsedlimply。
　　"Gosh！"hemuttered。"Say，doyouknow，Ididn’ts’poseIdidcaresomuch！IreckonI’llgoan’tellMr。Jack。He’llwantterhear。"
　　CHAPTERXXIII
　　PUZZLES
　　David’sconvalescencewaspicturesque，inaway。Assoonashewasable，likeakinghesatuponhisthroneandreceivedhissubjects；andaverygraciouskinghewas，indeed。Hisroomoverflowedwithflowersandfruit，andhisbedquitegroanedwiththetoysandbooksandgamesbroughtforhisdiversion，eachoneofwhichhehailedwithdelight，fromMissHolbrook’ssumptuouslybound"WaverleyNovels"tolittlecrippledJimmyClark’sbagofmarbles。
　　OnlytwothingspuzzledDavid：onewaswhyeverybodywassogoodtohim；andtheotherwaswhyhenevercouldhavethepleasureofbothMr。Jack’sandMissHolbrook’scompanyatthesametime。
　　DaviddiscoveredthislastcuriouscircumstanceconcerningMr。
　　JackandMissHolbrookveryearlyinhisconvalescence。ItwasonthesecondafternoonthatMr。Jackhadbeenadmittedtothesick-room。DavidhadbeenhearingallthelatestnewsofJillandJoe，whensuddenlyhenoticedanoddchangecometohisvisitor’sface。
　　ThewindowsoftheHolly"parlorbedroom"commandedafineviewoftheroad，anditwastowardoneofthesewindowsthatMr。
　　Jack’seyesweredirected。David，sittingupinbed，sawthenthatdowntheroadwasapproachingveryswiftlyahandsomespanofblackhorsesandanopencarriagewhichhehadcometorecognizeasbelongingtoMissHolbrook。HewatchediteagerlynowtillhesawthehorsesturninattheHollydriveway。Thenhegavealowcryofdelight。
　　"It’smyLadyoftheRoses！She’scomingtoseeme。Look！Oh，I’msoglad！Nowyou’llseeher，andjustKNOWhowlovelysheis。
　　Why，Mr。Jack，youaren’tgoingNOW！"hebrokeoffinmanifestdisappointment，asMr。Jackleapedtohisfeet。
　　"IthinkI’llhaveto，ifyoudon’tmind，David，"returnedtheman，anoddlynervoushasteinhismanner。"AndYOUwon’tmind，nowthatyou’llhaveMissHolbrook。IwanttospeaktoLarson。I
　　sawhiminthefieldoutthereaminuteago。AndIguessI’llsliprightthroughthiswindowhere，too，David。Idon’twanttolosehim；andIcancatchhimquickerthiswaythananyother，"
　　hefinished，throwingupthesash。
　　"Oh，butMr。Jack，pleasejustwaitaminute，"beggedDavid。"I
　　wantedyoutoseemyLadyoftheRoses，and——"ButMr。Jackwasalreadyonthegroundoutsidethelowwindow，andthenextminute，withamerrynodandsmile，hehadpulledthesashdownafterhimandwashurryingaway。
　　Almostatonce，then，MissHolbrookappearedatthebedroomdoor。