第6章

"But，David，think。Whereyoulived，wasn’tthereeveranybodywhocalledhimbyname？"

Davidshookhishead。

"Itoldyou。Wewereallalone，fatherandI，inthelittlehousefaruponthemountain。"

"And——yourmother？"AgainDavidshookhishead。

"Sheisanangel-mother，andangel-mothersdon’tliveinhouses，youknow。"

Therewasamoment’spause；thengentlythemanasked：——

"Andyoualwayslivedthere？"

"Sixyears，fathersaid。"

"Andbeforethat？"

"Idon’tremember。"Therewasatouchofinjuredreserveintheboy’svoicewhichthemanwasquicktoperceive。Hetookthehintatonce。

"Hemusthavebeenawonderfulman——yourfather！"heexclaimed。

Theboyturned，hiseyesluminouswithfeeling。

"Hewas——hewasperfect！Butthey——downhere——don’tseemtoknow——orcare，"hechoked。

"Oh，butthat’sbecausetheydon’tunderstand，"soothedtheman。

"Now，tellme——youmusthavepracticedalottoplaylikethat。"

"Idid——butIlikedit。"

"Andwhatelsedidyoudo？andhowdidyouhappentocome——downhere？"

OnceagainDavidtoldhisstory，morefully，perhaps，thistimethaneverbefore，becauseofthesympatheticearsthatwerelistening。

"Butnow"hefinishedwistfully，"it’sall，sodifferent，andI’mdownherealone。Daddywent，youknow，tothefarcountry；andhecan’tcomebackfromthere。"

"Whotoldyou——that？"

"Daddyhimself。Hewroteittome。"

"Wroteittoyou！"criedtheman，sittingsuddenlyerect。

"Yes。Itwasinhispocket，yousee。They——foundit。"David’svoicewasverylow，andnotquitesteady。

"David，mayIsee——thatletter？"

Theboyhesitated；thenslowlyhedrewitfromhispocket。

"Yes，Mr。Jack。I’llletYOUseeit。"

Reverently，tenderly，butveryeagerlythemantookthenoteandreaditthrough，hopingsomewheretofindanamethatwouldhelpsolvethemystery。Withasighhehandeditback。Hiseyeswerewet。

"Thankyou，David。Thatisabeautifulletter，"hesaidsoftly。

"AndIbelieveyou’lldoitsomeday，too。You’llgotohimwithyourviolinatyourchinandthebowdrawnacrossthestringstotellhimofthebeautifulworldyouhavefound。"

"Yes，sir，"saidDavidsimply。Then，withasuddenlyradiantsmile："AndNOWIcan’thelpfindingitabeautifulworld，youknow，’causeIdon’tcountthehoursIdon’tlike。"

"Youdon’twhat？——oh，Iremember，"returnedMr。Jack，aquickchangecomingtohisface。

"Yes，thesundial，youknow，wheremyLadyoftheRoseslives。"

"Jack，whatisasundial？"brokeinJilleagerly。

Jackturned，asifinrelief。

"Hullo，girlie，youthere？——andsostillallthistime？AskDavid。He’lltellyouwhatasundialis。Suppose，anyhow，thatyoutwogooutonthepiazzanow。I’vegot——er-someworktodo。

Andthesunitselfisout；see？——throughthetreesthere。Itcameoutjusttosay’good-night，’I’msure。Runalong，quick！"Andheplayfullydrovethemfromtheroom。

Alone，heturnedandsatdownathisdesk。Hisworkwasbeforehim，buthedidnotdoit。HiseyeswereoutofthewindowonthegoldentopsofthetowersofSunnycrest。Motionless，hewatchedthemuntiltheyturnedgray-whiteinthetwilight。Thenhepickeduphispencilandbegantowritefeverishly。Hewenttothewindow，however，asDavidsteppedofftheveranda，andcalledmerrily：——

"Remember，boy，thatwhenthere’sanothernotethatbafflesme，I’mgoingtosendforyou。"

"He’scominganyhow。Iaskedhim，"announcedJill。

AndDavidlaughedbackahappy"OfcourseIam！"

CHAPTERXIV

THETOWERWINDOW

Itisnottobeexpectedthatwhenone’sthoughtsleadsopersistentlytoacertainplace，one’sfeetwillnotfollow，iftheycan；andDavid’scould——sohewenttoseekhisLadyoftheRoses。

Atfouro’clockoneafternoon，withhisviolinunderhisarm，hetraveledthefirmwhiteroaduntilhecametotheshadowedpaththatledtothegarden。Hehaddecidedthathewouldgoexactlyashewentbefore。Heexpected，inconsequence，tofindhisLadyexactlyashehadfoundherbefore，sittingreadingundertheroses。Greatwashissurpriseanddisappointment，therefore，tofindthegardenwithnooneinit。

Hehadtoldhimselfthatitwasthesundial，theroses，theshimmeringpool，thegardenitselfthathewantedtosee；butheknewnowthatitwasthelady——hisLadyoftheRoses。Hedidnotevencaretoplay，thoughallaroundhimwasthebeautythathadatfirstsocharmedhiseye。Veryslowlyhewalkedacrossthesunlit，emptyspace，andenteredthepaththatledtothehouse。

Inhismindwasnodefiniteplan；yethewalkedonandon，untilhecametothewidelawnssurroundingthehouseitself。Hestoppedthen，entranced。

Stoneuponstonethemajesticpileraiseditselfuntilitwasetched，clean-cut，againstthedeepblueofthesky。Thetowers——histowers——broughttoDavid’slipsacryofdelight。

Theywereevenmoreenchantingherethanwhenseenfromafaroverthetree-tops，andDavidgazedupattheminawedwonder。Fromsomewherecamethesoundofmusic——acurioussortofmusicthatDavidhadneverheardbefore。Helistenedintently，tryingtoplaceit；thenslowlyhecrossedthelawn，ascendedtheimposingstonesteps，andsoftlyopenedoneofthenarrowscreendoorsbeforethewide-openFrenchwindow。

OncewithintheroomDaviddrewalongbreathofecstasy。Beneathhisfeethefeltthevelvetsoftnessofthegreenmossofthewoods。Abovehisheadhesawasky-likecanopyofbluecarryingfleecycloudsonwhichfloatedlittlepink-and-whitechildrenwithwings，justasDavidhimselfhadsooftenwishedthathecouldfloat。Onallsidessilkenhangings，likethegreenofswayingvines，half-hidotherhangingsoffeathery，snowflakelace。EverywheremirroredwallscaughtthelightandreflectedthepottedfernsandpalmssothatDavidlookeddownendlessvistasoflovelinessthatseemedforalltheworldlikethelongsunfleckedaislesbeneaththetallpinesofhismountainhome。

ThemusicthatDavidhadheardatfirsthadlongsincestopped；

butDavidhadnotnoticedthat。Hestoodnowinthecenteroftheroom，awed，andtrembling，butenraptured。Thenfromsomewherecameavoice——avoicesocoldthatitsoundedasifithadsweptacrossafieldofice。

"Well，boy，whenyouhavequitefinishedyourinspection，perhapsyouwilltellmetowhatIamindebtedforTHISvisit，"itsaid。

Davidturnedabruptly。

"OLadyoftheRoses，whydidn’tyoutellmeitwaslikethis——inhere？"hebreathed。

"Well，really，"murmuredtheladyinthedoorway，stiffly，"ithadnotoccurredtomethatthatwashardly——necessary。"

"Butitwas！——don’tyousee？Thisisnew，allnew。Ineversawanythinglikeitbefore；andIdosolovenewthings。Itgivesmesomethingnewtoplay；don’tyouunderstand？"

"New——toplay？"

"Yes——onmyviolin，"explainedDavid，alittlebreathlessly，softlytestinghisviolin。"There’salwayssomethingnewinthis，youknow，"hehurriedon，ashetightenedoneofthestrings，"whenthere’sanythingnewoutside。Now，listen！YouseeIdon’tknowmyselfjusthowit’sgoingtosound，andI’malwayssoanxioustofindout。"Andwithajoyouslyraptfacehebegantoplay。

"But，seehere，boy，——youmustn’t！You——"Thewordsdiedonherlips；and，toherunboundedamazement，MissBarbaraHolbrook，whohadintendedperemptorilytosendthispersistentlittletrampboyabouthisbusiness，foundherselflisteningtoamelodysocompellinginitssonorousbeautythatshewasleftalmostspeechlessatitsclose。Itwastheboywhospoke。

"There，Itoldyoumyviolinwouldknowwhattosay！"

"’Whattosay’！——well，that’smorethanIdo"laughedMissHolbrook，alittlehysterically。"Boy，comehereandtellmewhoyouare。"Andsheledthewaytoalowdivanthatstoodnearaharpatthefarendoftheroom。

Itwasthesamestory，toldasDavidhadtoldittoJackandJillafewdaysbefore，onlythistimeDavid’seyeswererovingadmiringlyallabouttheroom，restingoftenestontheharpsonearhim。

"DidthatmakethemusicthatIheard？"heaskedeagerly，assoonasMissHolbrook’squestionsgavehimopportunity。"It’sgotstrings。"

"Yes。Iwasplayingwhenyoucamein。Isawyouenterthewindow。

Really，David，areyouinthehabitofwalkingintopeople’shouseslikethis？Itismostdisconcerting——totheirowners。"

"Yes——no——well，sometimes。"David’seyeswerestillontheharp。

"LadyoftheRoses，won’tyoupleaseplayagain——onthat？"

"David，youareincorrigible！Whydidyoucomeintomyhouselikethis？"

"Themusicsaid’come’；andthetowers，too。Yousee，IKNOWthetowers。"

"YouKNOWthem！"

"Yes。Icanseethemfromsomanyplaces，andIalwayswatchforthem。Theyshowbestofanywhere，though，fromJackandJill’s。

Andnowwon’tyouplay？"

MissHolbrookhadalmostrisentoherfeetwhensheturnedabruptly。

"From——where？"sheasked。

"FromJackandJill’s——theHousethatJackBuilt，youknow。"

"Youmean——Mr。JohnGurnsey’shouse？"AdeepercolorhadcomeintoMissHolbrook’scheeks。

"Yes。Overthereatthetopofthelittlehillacrossthebrook，youknow。Youcan’tseeTHEIRhousefromhere，butfromovertherewecanseethetowersfinely，andthelittlewindow——Oh，LadyoftheRoses，"hebrokeoffexcitedly，atthenewthoughtthathadcometohim，"ifwe，now，wereinthatlittlewindow，weCOULDseetheirhouse。Let’sgoup。Can’twe？"

Explicitasthiswas，MissHolbrookevidentlydidnothear，oratleastdidnotunderstand，thisrequest。Shesettledbackonthedivan，indeed，almostdeterminedly。Hercheekswereveryrednow。

"Anddoyouknow——thisMr。Jack？"sheaskedlightly。

"Yes，andJill，too。Don’tyou？Ilikethem，too。DOyouknowthem？"

AgainMissHolbrookignoredthequestionputtoher。"Anddidyouwalkintotheirhouse，unannouncedanduninvited，likethis？"shequeried。

"No。Heaskedme。Youseehewantedtogetoffsomeofthedirtandbloodbeforeotherfolkssawme。"

"Thedirtand——and——why，David，whatdoyoumean？Whatwasit——anaccident？"

Davidfrownedandreflectedamoment。

"No。Ididitonpurpose。IHADto，yousee，"hefinallyelucidated。"Butthereweresixofthem，andIgottheworstofit。"

"David！"MissHolbrook’svoicewashorrified。"Youdon’tmean——afight！"

"Yes’m。Iwantedthecat——andIgotit，butIwouldn’thaveifMr。Jackhadn’tcometohelpme。"

"Oh！SoMr。Jack——fought，too？"

"Well，hepulledtheothersoff，andofcoursethathelpedme，"

explainedDavidtruthfully。"Andthenhetookmehome——heandJill。"

"Jill！Wassheinit？"

"No，onlyhercat。Theyhadtiedabagoveritsheadandatincantoitstail，andofcourseIcouldn’tletthemdothat。Theywerehurtingher。Andnow，LadyoftheRoses，won’tyoupleaseplay？"

ForamomentMissHolbrookdidnotspeak。ShewasgazingatDavidwithanoddlookinhereyes。Atlastshedrewalongsigh。

"David，youarethe——theLIMIT！"shebreathed，assheroseandseatedherselfattheharp。

Davidwasmanifestlydelightedwithherplaying，andbeggedformorewhenshehadfinished；butMissHolbrookshookherhead。Sheseemedtohavegrownsuddenlyrestless，andshemovedabouttheroomcallingDavid’sattentiontosomethingneweachmoment。

Then，veryabruptly，shesuggestedthattheygoupstairs。Fromroomtoroomshehurriedtheboy，scarcelylisteningtohisardentcomments，oransweringhisstillmoreardentquestions。

Notuntiltheyreachedthehighesttowerroom，indeed，didshesinkwearilyintoachair，andseemforamomentatrest。

Davidlookedabouthiminsurprise。Evenhisuntrainedeyecouldseethathehadenteredadifferentworld。Therewerenosumptuousrugs，nosilkenhangings；nomirrors，nosnowflakecurtains。Therewerebooks，tobesure，butbesidesthosetherewereonlyaplainlowtable，awork-basket，andthreeorfourwooden-seatedthoughcomfortablechairs。WithincreasingwonderhelookedintoMissHolbrook’seyes。

"Isitherethatyoustay——allday？"heaskeddiffidently。

MissHolbrook’sfaceturnedavividscarlet。

"Why，David，whataquestion！Ofcoursenot！WhyshouldyouthinkIdid？"

"Nothing；onlyI’vebeenwonderingallthetimeI’vebeenherehowyoucould——withallthosebeautifulthingsaroundyoudownstairs——saywhatyoudid。"

"Saywhat？——when？"

"Thatotherdayinthegarden——aboutALLyourhoursbeingcloudyones。SoIdidn’tknowto-daybutwhatyouLIVEDuphere，sameasMrs。Hollydoesn’tuseherbestrooms；andthatwaswhyyourhourswereallcloudyones。"

WithasuddenmovementMissHolbrookrosetoherfeet。

"Nonsense，David！Youshouldn’talwaysremembereverythingthatpeoplesaytoyou。Come，youhaven’tseenoneoftheviewsfromthewindowsyet。Weareinthelargertower，youknow。YoucanseeHinsdalevillageonthisside，andthere’safineviewofthemountainsoverthere。Ohyes，andfromtheothersidethere’syourfriend’shouse——Mr。Jack’s。Bytheway，howisMr。Jackthesedays？"MissHolbrookstoopedassheaskedthequestionandpickedupabitofthreadfromtherug。

DavidranatoncetothewindowthatlookedtowardtheHousethatJackBuilt。Fromthetowerthelittlehouseappearedtobesmallerthanever。Itwasintheshadow，too，andlookedstrangelyaloneandforlorn。Unconsciously，ashegazedatit，Davidcompareditwiththemagnificencehehadjustseen。Hisvoicechokedasheanswered。

"Heisn’twell，LadyoftheRoses，andhe’sunhappy。He’sawfullyunhappy。"

MissHolbrook’sslenderfigurecameupwithajerk。

"Whatdoyoumean，boy？Howdoyouknowhe’sunhappy？Hashesaidso？"

"No；butMrs。Hollytoldmeabouthim。He’ssick；andhe’djustfoundhisworktodooutintheworldwhenhehadtostopandcomehome。But——oh，quick，thereheis！See？"

InsteadofcomingnearerMissHolbrookfellbacktothecenteroftheroom；buthereyeswerestillturnedtowardthelittlehouse。

"Yes，Isee，"shemurmured。ThenextinstantshehadsnatchedahandkerchieffromDavid’soutstretchedhand。"No——no——Iwouldn’twave，"sheremonstratedhurriedly。"Come——comedownstairswithme。"

"ButIthought——Iwassurehewaslookingthisway，"assertedDavid，turningreluctantlyfromthewindow。"AndifheHADseenmewavetohim，he’dhavebeensoglad；now，wouldn’the？"

Therewasnoanswer。TheLadyoftheRosesdidnotapparentlyhear。Shehadgoneondownthestairway。

CHAPTERXV

SECRETS

DavidhadsomuchtotellJackandJillthathewenttoseethemtheverynextdayafterhissecondvisittoSunnycrest。Hecarriedhisviolinwithhim。Hefound，however，onlyJillathome。Shewassittingontheverandasteps。

Therewasnotsomuchembarrassmentbetweenthemthistime，perhapsbecausetheywereinthefreedomofthewideout-of-doors，andDavidfeltmoreatease。Hewasplainlydisappointed，however，thatMr。Jackwasnotthere。

"ButIwantedtoseehim！Iwantedtoseehim’specially，"helamented。

"You’dbetterstay，then。He’llbehomebyandby，"comfortedJill。"He’sgonepot-boiling。"

"Pot-boiling！What’sthat？"

Jillchuckled。

"Well，yousee，reallyit’sthisway：hesellssomethingtoboilinotherpeople’spotssohecanhavesomethingtoboilinours，hesays。It’sstufffromthegarden，youknow。Weraiseittosell。PoorJack——andhedoeshateitso！"

Davidnoddedsympathetically。

"Iknow——anditmustbeawful，justhoeingandweedingallthetime。"

"Still，ofcourseheknowshe’sgottodoit，becauseit’soutofdoors，andhejusthastobeoutofdoorsallhecan，"rejoinedthegirl。"He’ssick，youknow，andsometimeshe’ssounhappy！Hedoesn’tsaymuch。Jackneversaysmuch——onlywithhisface。ButIknow，andit——itjustmakesmewanttocry。"

AtDavid’sdismayedexclamationJilljumpedtoherfeet。Itownedtohersuddenlythatshewastellingthisunknownboyaltogethertoomanyofthefamilysecrets。Sheproposedatoncearacetothefootofthehill；andthen，todriveDavid’smindstillfartherawayfromthesubjectunderrecentconsideration，shedeliberatelylost，andproclaimedhimthevictor。

Verysoon，however，therearosenewcomplicationsintheshapeofalittlegatethatledtoapathwhich，initsturn，ledtoafootbridgeacrossthenarrowspanofthelittlestream。

AbovethetreesontheothersidepeepedthetopofSunnycrest’shighesttower。

"TotheLadyoftheRoses！"criedDavideagerly。"Iknowitgoesthere。Come，let’ssee！"

Thelittlegirlshookherhead。

"Ican’t。"

"Whynot？"

"Jackwon’tletme。"

"Butitgoestoabeautifulplace；Iwasthereyesterday，"arguedDavid。"AndIwasupinthetowerandalmostwavedtoMr。Jackonthepiazzabackthere。Isawhim。Andmaybeshe’dletyouandmegoupthereagainto-day。"

"ButIcan’t，Isay，"repeatedJill，alittleimpatiently。"Jackwon’tletmeevenstart。"

"Whynot？Maybehedoesn’tknowwhereitgoesto。"

Jillhungherhead。Thensheraiseditdefiantly。

"Oh，yes，hedoes，’causeItoldhim。IusedtogowhenIwaslittlerandhewasn’there。Iwentonce，afterhecame，——halfway，——andhesawmeandcalledtome。Ihadgothalfwayacrossthebridge，butIhadtocomeback。Hewasveryangry，yetsortof——queer，too。Hisfacewasallsternandwhite，andhislipssnappedtightshutaftereveryword。Hesaidnever，never，nevertolethimfindmetheothersideofthatgate。"

Davidfrownedastheyturnedtogoupthehill。UnhesitatinglyhedeterminedtoinstructMr。Jackinthislittlematter。HewouldtellhimwhatabeautifulplaceSunnycrestwas，andhewouldtrytoconvincehimhowverydesirableitwasthatheandJill，andevenMr。Jackhimself，shouldgoacrossthebridgeattheveryfirstopportunitythatoffered。

Mr。Jackcamehomebeforelong，butDavidquiteforgottospeakofthefootbridgejustthen，chieflybecauseMr。JackgotouthisviolinandaskedDavidtocomeinandplayaduetwithhim。Theduet，however，soonbecameasolo，forsogreatwasMr。Jack’sdelightinDavid’splayingthatheplacedbeforetheboyonesheetofmusicafteranother，beggingandstillbeggingformore。

David，nothingloath，playedonandon。Mostofthemusicheknew，havingalreadylearneditinhismountainhome。Likeoldfriendsthemelodiesseemed，andsogladwasDavidtoseetheirnotesagainthathefinishedeachproductionwithalittleimprovisedcadenzaofecstaticwelcome——toMr。Jack’sincreasingsurpriseanddelight。

"GreatScott！you’reawonder，David，"heexclaimed，atlast。

"Pooh！asifthatwasanythingwonderful，"laughedtheboy。"Why，Iknewthoseagesago，Mr。Jack。It’sonlythatI’msogladtoseethemagain——thenotes，youknow。Yousee，Ihaven’tanymusicnow。Itwasallinthebag（whatwebrought），andweleftthatontheway。"

"Youleftit！"

"Yes，’twasso，heavy"murmuredDavidabstractedly，hisfingersbusywiththepileofmusicbeforehim。"Oh，andhere’sanotherone，"hecriedexultingly。"Thisiswherethewindsighs，’oou——OOU——OOU’throughthepines。Listen！"Andhewasawayagainonthewingsofhisviolin。WhenhehadreturnedMr。Jackdrewalongbreath。

"David，youareawonder，"hedeclaredagain。"Andthatviolinofyoursisawonder，too，ifI’mnotmistaken，——thoughIdon’tknowenoughtotellwhetherit’sreallyarareoneornot。Wasityourfather’s？"

"Oh，no。Hehadone，too，andtheybotharegoodones。Fathersaidso。Joe’sgotfather’snow。"

"Joe？"

"JoeGlaspell。"

"Youdon’tmeanWidowGlaspell’sJoe，theblindboy？Ididn’tknowhecouldplay。"

"Hecouldn’ttillIshowedhim。Buthelikestohearmeplay。

Andheunderstood——rightaway，Imean。"

"UNDERSTOOD！"

"WhatIwasplaying，youknow。Andhewasalmostthefirstonethatdid——sincefatherwentaway。AndnowIplayeverytimeIgothere。Joesaysheneverknewbeforehowtreesandgrassandsunsetsandsunrisesandbirdsandlittlebrooksdidlook，tillI

toldhimwithmyviolin。NowhesayshethinkshecanseethembetterthanIcan，becauseaslongashisOUTSIDEeyescan’tseeanything，theycan’tseethoseuglythingsallaroundhim，andsohecanjustmakehisINSIDEeyesseeonlythebeautifulthingsthathe’dLIKEtosee。Andthat’sthekindhedoesseewhenI

play。That’swhyIsaidheunderstood。"

Foramomenttherewassilence。InMr。Jack’seyestherewasanoddlookastheyrestedonDavid’sface。Then，abruptly，hespoke。

"David，IwishIhadmoney。I’dputyouthenwhereyoubelonged，"

hesighed。

"Doyoumean——whereI’dfindmyworktodo？"askedtheboysoftly。

"Well——yes；youmightsayitthatway，"smiledtheman，afteramoment’shesitation——notyetwasMr。Jackquiteusedtothisboywhowasattimessoveryun-boylike。

"Fathertoldme’twaswaitingforme——somewhere。"

Mr。Jackfrownedthoughtfully。

"Andhewasright，David。Theonlytroubleis，weliketopickitoutforourselves，prettywell，——toowell，aswefindoutsometimes，whenwe’recalledoff——foranotherjob。"

"Iknow，Mr。Jack，Iknow，"breathedDavid。Andtheman，lookingintotheglowingdarkeyes，wonderedatwhathefoundthere。Itwasalmostasiftheboyreallyunderstoodabouthisownlife’sdisappointment——andcared；thoughthat，ofcourse，couldnotbe！

"Andit’sallthehardertokeepourselvesintunethen，too，isn’tit？"wentonDavid，alittlewistfully。

"Intune？"

"WiththerestoftheOrchestra。"

"Oh！"AndMr。Jack，whohadalreadyheardaboutthe"OrchestraofLife，"smiledabitsadly。"That’sjustit，myboy。Andifwe’rehandedanotherinstrumenttoplayonthantheoneweWANT

toplayon，we’reaptto——toletflyadiscord。Anyhow，Iam。

But"——hewentonmorelightly——"now，inyourcase，David，littleasIknowabouttheviolin，Iknowenoughtounderstandthatyououghttobewhereyoucantakeupyourstudyofitagain；whereyoucanheargoodmusic，andwhereyoucanbeamongthosewhoknowenoughtoappreciatewhatyoudo。"

David’seyessparkled。

"Andwheretherewouldn’tbeanypullingweedsorhoeingdirt？"

"Well，Ihadn’tthoughtofincludingeitherofthosepastimes。"

"My，butIwouldlikethat，Mr。Jack！——butTHATwouldn’tbeWORK，sothatcouldn’tbewhatfathermeant。"David’sfacefell。

"Hm-m；well，Iwouldn’tworryaboutthe’work’part，"laughedMr。Jack，"particularlyasyouaren’tgoingtodoitjustnow。

There’sthemoney，youknow，——andwehaven’tgotthat。"

"Andittakesmoney？"

"Well——yes。Youcan’tgetthosethingshereinHinsdale，youknow；andittakesmoney，togetaway，andtoliveawayafteryougetthere。"

AsuddenlighttransfiguredDavid’sface。

"Mr。Jack，wouldgolddoit？——lotsoflittleroundgold-pieces？"

"Ithinkitwould，David，iftherewereenoughofthem。"

"Manyasahundred？"

"Sure——iftheywerebigenough。Anyway，David，they’dstartyou，andI’mthinkingyouwouldn’tneedbutastartbeforeyou’dbecoininggold-piecesofyourownoutofthatviolinofyours。Butwhy？Anybodyyouknowgotas’manyasahundred’gold-pieceshewantstogetridof？"

ForamomentDavid，hisdelightedthoughtsflyingtothegold-piecesinthechimneycupboardofhisroom，wastemptedtotellhissecret。Thenherememberedthewomanwiththebreadandthepailofmilk，anddecidednotto。Hewouldwait。WhenheknewMr。Jackbetter——perhapsthenhewouldtell；butnotnow。NOW

Mr。Jackmightthinkhewasathief，andthathecouldnotbear。

Sohetookuphisviolinandbegantoplay；andinthecharmofthemusicMr。Jackseemedtoforgetthegold-pieces——whichwasexactlywhatDavidhadintendedshouldhappen。

NotuntilDavidhadsaidgood-byesometimelater，didherememberthepurpose——thespecialpurpose——forwhichhehadcome。

Heturnedbackwitharadiantface。

"Oh，andMr。Jack，I’mostforgot，"hecried。"Iwasgoingtotellyou。Isawyouyesterday——Idid，andIalmostwavedtoyou。"

"Didyou？Wherewereyou？"

"Overthereinthewindow——thetowerwindow"hecrowedjubilantly。

"Oh，youwentagain，then，Isuppose，toseeMissHolbrook。"

Theman’svoicesoundedsooddlycoldanddistantthatDavidnoticeditatonce。HewasremindedsuddenlyofthegateandthefootbridgewhichJillwasforbiddentocross；buthedarednotspeakofitthen——notwhenMr。Jacklookedlikethat。Hedidsay，however：——

"Oh，but，Mr。Jack，it’ssuchabeautifulplace！Youdon’tknowwhatabeautifulplaceitis。"

"Isit？Then，youlikeitsomuch？"

"Oh，somuch！But——didn’tyouever——seeit？"

"Why，yes，IbelieveIdid，David，longago，"murmuredMr。JackwithwhatseemedtoDavidamazingindifference。

"AnddidyouseeHER——myLadyoftheRoses？"

"Why，y——yes——Ibelieveso。"

"AndisTHATallyourememberaboutit？"resentedDavid，highlyoffended。

Themangavealaugh——alittleshort，hardlaughthatDaviddidnotlike。

"But，letmesee；yousaidyoualmostwaved，didn’tyou？Whydidn’tyou，quite？"askedtheman。

Daviddrewhimselfsuddenlyerect。InstinctivelyhefeltthathisLadyoftheRosesneededdefense。

"BecauseSHEdidn’twantmeto；soIdidn’t，ofcourse，"herejoinedwithdignity。"Shetookawaymyhandkerchief。"

"I’llwarrantshedid，"mutteredtheman，behindhisteeth。Aloudheonlylaughedagain，asheturnedaway。

Davidwentondownthesteps，dissatisfiedvaguelywithhimself，withMr。Jack，andevenwiththeLadyoftheRoses。

CHAPTERXVI

DAVID’SCASTLEINSPAIN

OnhisreturnfromtheHousethatJackBuilt，Daviddecidedtocounthisgold-pieces。Hegotthemoutatoncefrombehindthebooks，andstackedthemupinlittleshiningrows。Ashehadsurmised，therewereahundredofthem。Therewere，indeed，ahundredandsix。Hewaspleasedatthat。Onehundredandsixweresurelyenoughtogivehima"start。"

Astart！Davidclosedhiseyesandpicturedit。Togoonwithhisviolin，toheargoodmusic，tobewithpeoplewhounderstoodwhathesaidwhenheplayed！ThatwaswhatMr。Jackhadsaida"start"

was。Andthisgold——theseroundshiningbitsofgold——couldbringhimthis！Davidsweptthelittlepilesintoajinglingheap，andsprangtohisfeetwithbothfistsfullofhissuddenlybelovedwealth。Withboyishgleehecaperedabouttheroom，jinglingthecoinsinhishands。Then，verysoberly，hesatdownagain，andbegantogatherthegoldtoputaway。

Hewouldbewise——hewouldbesensible。Hewouldwatchhischance，andwhenitcamehewouldgoaway。First，however，hewouldtellMr。JackandJoe，andtheLadyoftheRoses；yes，andtheHollys，too。Justnowthereseemedtobework，realworkthathecoulddotohelpMr。Holly。Butlater，possiblywhenSeptembercameandschool，——theyhadsaidhemustgotoschool，——hewouldtellthemthen，andgoawayinstead。Hewouldsee。Bythattimetheywouldbelievehim，perhaps，whenheshowedthegold-pieces。

Theywouldnotthinkhehad——STOLENthem。ItwasAugustnow；hewouldwait。Butmeanwhilehecouldthink——hecouldalwaysbethinkingofthewonderfulthingthatthisgoldwasonedaytobringtohim。

Evenwork，toDavid，didnotseemworknow。Inthemorninghewastorakehaybehindthemenwiththecart。Yesterdayhehadnotlikeditverywell；butnow——nothingmatterednow。AndwithasatisfiedsighDavidputhispreciousgoldawayagainbehindthebooksinthecupboard。

Davidfoundanewsonginhisviolinthenextmorning。Tobesure，hecouldnotplayit——muchofit——untilfouro’clockintheafternooncame；forMr。Hollydidnotlikeviolinstobeplayedinthemorning，evenondaysthatwerenotespeciallytheLord’s。

Therewastoomuchworktodo。SoDavidcouldonlysnatchastrainortwovery，verysoftly，whilehewasdressing；butthatwasenoughtoshowhimwhatabeautifulsongitwasgoingtobe。

Heknewwhatitwas，atonce，too。Itwasthegold-pieces，andwhattheywouldbring。Allthroughthedayittrippedthroughhisconsciousness，anddancedtantalizinglyjustoutofreach。Yethewaswonderfullyhappy，andthedayseemedshortinspiteoftheheatandtheweariness。

Atfouro’clockhehurriedhomeandputhisviolinquicklyintune。Itcamethen——thatdancingspriteoftantalization——andjoyouslyabandoneditselftothestringsoftheviolin，sothatDavidknew，ofasurety，whatabeautifulsongitwas。

ItwasthissongthatsenthimthenextafternoontoseehisLadyoftheRoses。Hefoundherthistimeoutofdoorsinhergarden。

Unceremoniously，asusual，herushedheadlongintoherpresence。

"Oh，Lady——LadyoftheRoses，"hepanted。"I’vefoundout，andI

camequicklytotellyou。"

"Why，David，what——whatdoyoumean？"MissHolbrooklookedunmistakablystartled。

"Aboutthehours，youknow，——theuncloudedones，"explainedDavideagerly。"YouknowyousaidtheywereALLcloudytoyou。"

MissHolbrook’sfacegrewverywhite。

"Youmean——you’vefoundoutWHYmyhoursare——areallcloudyones？"shestammered。

"No，oh，no。Ican’timaginewhytheyare，"returnedDavid，withanemphaticshakeofhishead。"It’sjustthatI’vefoundawaytomakeallmyhourssunnyones，andyoucandoit，too。SoI

cametotellyou。Youknowyousaidyourswereallcloudy。"

"Oh，"ejaculatedMissHolbrook，fallingbackintoheroldlistlessattitude。Then，withsomeasperity："Dearme，David！Didn’tItellyounottoberememberingthatallthetime？"

"Yes，Iknow，butI’veLEARNEDsomething，"urgedtheboy；

"somethingthatyououghttoknow。Yousee，Ididthink，once，thatbecauseyouhadallthesebeautifulthingsaroundyou，thehoursoughttobeallsunnyones。ButnowIknowitisn’twhat’saroundyou；it’swhatisINyou！"

"Oh，David，David，youcuriousboy！"

"No，butreally！Letmetellyou，"pleadedDavid。"YouknowI

haven’tlikedthem，——allthosehourstillfouro’clockcame，——andIwassoglad，afterIsawthesundial，tofindoutthattheydidn’tcount，anyhow。Butto-daytheyHAVE

counted——they’veallcounted，LadyoftheRoses；andit’sjustbecausetherewassomethinginsideofmethatshoneandshone，andmadethemallsunny——thosehours。"

"Dearme！Andwhatwasthiswonderfulthing？"

Davidsmiled，butheshookhishead。

"Ican’ttellyouthatyet——inwords；butI’llplayit。Yousee，Ican’talwaysplaythemtwicealike，——thoselittlesongsthatI

find，——butthisoneIcan。Itsangsolonginmyhead，beforemyviolinhadachancetotellmewhatitreallywas，thatIsortoflearnedit。Now，listen！"Andbebegantoplay。

Itwas，indeed，abeautifulsong，andMissHolbrooksaidsowithpromptnessandenthusiasm；yetstillDavidfrowned。

"Yes，yes，"heanswered，"butdon’tyousee？Thatwastellingyouaboutsomethinginsideofmethatmadeallmyhourssunshinyones。Now，whatyouwantissomethinginsideofyoutomakeyourssunshiny，too。Don’tyousee？"

AnoddlookcameintoMissHolbrook’seyes。

"That’sallverywellforyoutosay，David，butyouhaven’ttoldmeyet，youknow，justwhatitisthat’smadeallthisbrightnessforyou。"

Theboychangedhisposition，andpuckeredhisforeheadintoadeeperfrown。

"Idon’tseemtoexplainsoyoucanunderstand，"hesighed。"Itisn’ttheSPECIALthing。It’sonlythatit’sSOMETHING。Andit’sthinkingaboutitthatdoesit。Now，minewouldn’tmakeyoursshine，but——still，"——hebrokeoff，ahappyreliefinhiseyes，——"yourscouldbeLIKEmine，inoneway。Mineissomethingthatisgoingtohappentome——somethingjustbeautiful；andyoucouldhavethat，youknow，——somethingthatwasgoingtohappentoyou，tothinkabout。"

MissHolbrooksmiled，butonlywithherlips，Hereyeshadgrownsomber。

"Butthereisn’tanything’justbeautiful’goingtohappentome，David，"shedemurred。

"Therecould，couldn’tthere？"

MissHolbrookbit，herlip；thenshegaveanoddlittlelaughthatseemed，insomeway，togowiththeswiftredthathadcometohercheeks。

"Iusedtothinktherecould——once，"sheadmitted；"butI’vegiventhatuplongago。It——itdidn’thappen。"

"Butcouldn’tyoujustTHINKitwasgoingto？"persistedtheboy。"YouseeIfoundoutyesterdaythatit’stheTHINKINGthatdoesit。AlldaylongIwasthinking——onlythinking。Iwasn’tDOINGit，atall。Iwasreallyrakingbehindthecart；butthehoursallweresunny。"

MissHolbrooklaughednowoutright。

"Whatapersistentlittlemental-sciencepreacheryouare！"sheexclaimed。"Andthere’struth——moretruththanyouknow——initall，too。ButIcan’tdoit，David，——notthat——notthat。’TwouldtakemorethanTHINKING——tobringthat，"sheadded，underherbreath，asiftoherself。

"Butthinkingdoesbringthings，"maintainedDavidearnestly。

"There’sJoe——JoeGlaspell。Hismotherworksoutallday；andhe’sblind。"

"Blind？Oh-h！"shudderedMissHolbrook。

"Yes；andhehastostayallalone，exceptforBetty，andsheisn’ttheremuch。HeTHINKSALLhisthings。Hehasto。Hecan’tSEE

anythingwithhisoutsideeyes。Butheseeseverythingwithhisinsideeyes——everythingthatIplay。Why，LadyoftheRoses，he’sevenseenthis——allthishere。Itoldhimaboutit，youknow，rightawayafterI’dfoundyouthatfirstday：thebigtreesandthelongshadowsacrossthegrass，andtheroses，andtheshiningwater，andthelovelymarblepeoplepeepingthroughthegreenleaves；andthesundial，andyousobeautifulsittinghereinthemiddleofitall。ThenIplayeditforhim；andhesaidhecouldseeitalljustasplain！AndTHATwaswithhisinsideeyes！Andso，ifJoe，shutupthereinhisdarklittleroom，canmakehisTHINKbringhimallthat，IshouldthinkthatYOU，hereinthisbeautiful，beautifulplace，couldmakeyourthinkbringyouanythingyouwanteditto。"

ButMissHolbrooksighedagainandshookherhead。

"Notthat，David，notthat，"shemurmured。"Itwouldtakemorethanthinkingtobring——that。"Then，withaquickchangeofmanner，shecried："Come，come，supposewedon’tworryanymoreaboutMYhours。Let’sthinkofyours。Tellme，whathaveyoubeendoingsinceIsawyoulast？Perhapsyouhavebeenagainto——toseeMr。Jack，forinstance。"

"Ihave；butIsawJillmostly，tillthelast。"Davidhesitated，thenheblurteditout："LadyoftheRoses，doyouknowaboutthegateandthefootbridge？"

MissHolbrooklookedupquickly。

"Know——what，David？"

"Knowaboutthem——thatthey’rethere？"

"Why——yes，ofcourse；atleast，Isupposeyoumeanthefootbridgethatcrossesthelittlestreamatthefootofthehilloverthere。"

"That’stheone。"AgainDavidhesitated，andagainheblurtedouttheburdenofhisthoughts。"LadyoftheRoses，didyouever——crossthatbridge？"

MissHolbrookstirreduneasily。

"Not——recently。"

"Butyoudon’tMINDfolkscrossingit？"

"Certainlynot——iftheywishto。"

"There！Iknew’twasn’tyourblame，"triumphedDavid。

"MYblame！"

"Yes；thatMr。Jackwouldn’tletJillcomeacross，youknow。Hecalledherbackwhenshe’dgothalfwayoveronce。"MissHolbrook’sfacechangedcolor。

"ButIdoobject，"shecriedsharply，"totheircrossingitwhentheyDON’Twantto！Don’tforgetthat，please。"

"ButJilldidwantto。"

"Howaboutherbrother——didhewantherto？"

"N——no。"

"Verywell，then。Ididn’t，either。"

Davidfrowned。NeverhadheseenhisbelovedLadyoftheRoseslooklikethisbefore。HewasremindedofwhatJillhadsaidaboutJack："Hisfacewasallsternandwhite，andhislipssnappedtightshutaftereveryword。"So，too，lookedMissHolbrook’sface；so，too，hadherlipssnappedtightshutafterherlastwords。Davidcouldnotunderstandit。Hesaidnothingmore，however；but，aswasusuallythecasewhenhewasperplexed，hepickeduphisviolinandbegantoplay。Andasheplayed，theregraduallycametoMissHolbrook’seyesasofterlight，andtoherlipslineslesstightlydrawn。NeitherthefootbridgenorMr。Jack，however，wasmentionedagainthatafternoon。