\"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。