第7章

CHAPTERXVII

"THEPRINCESSANDTHEPAUPER"

ItwasintheearlytwilightthatMr。Jacktoldthestory。He，Jill，andDavidwereontheveranda，asusualwatchingthetowersofSunnycrestturnfromgoldtosilverasthesundroppedbehindthehills。ItwasJillwhohadaskedforthestory。

"Aboutfairiesandprincesses，youknow，"shehadordered。

"ButhowwillDavidlikethat？"Mr。Jackhaddemurred。"Maybehedoesn’tcareforfairiesandprincesses。"

"Ireadoneonceaboutaprince——’twas’ThePrinceandthePauper，’andIlikedthat，"averredDavidstoutly。

Mr。Jacksmiled；thenhisbrowsdrewtogetherinafrown。Hiseyesweremoodilyfixedonthetowers。

"Hm-m；well，"hesaid，"Imight，Isuppose，tellyouastoryaboutaPRINCESSand——aPauper。I——knowonewellenough。"

"Good！——thentellit，"criedbothJillandDavid。AndMr。Jackbeganhisstory。

"ShewasnotalwaysaPrincess，andhewasnotalwaysaPauper，——andthat’swherethestorycamein，Isuppose，"sighedtheman。"Shewasjustagirl，once，andhewasaboy；andtheyplayedtogetherand——likedeachother。Helivedinalittlehouseonahill。"

"Likethis？"demandedJill。

"Eh？Oh——er——yes，SOMETHINGlikethis，"returnedMr。Jack，withanoddhalf-smile。"Andshelivedinanotherbitofahouseinatownfarawayfromtheboy。"

"Thenhowcouldtheyplaytogether？"questionedDavid。

"Theycouldn’t，ALWAYS。Itwasonlysummerswhenshecametovisitintheboy’stown。Shewasverynearhimthen，fortheoldauntwhomshevisitedlivedinabigstonehousewithtowers，onanotherhill，inplainsightfromtheboy’shome。"

"Towerslikethose——wheretheLadyoftheRoseslives？"askedDavid。

"Eh？What？Oh——er——yes，"murmuredMr。Jack。"We’llsaythetowersweresomethinglikethoseoverthere。"Hepaused，thenwentonmusingly："Thegirlusedtosignal，sometimes，fromoneofthetowerwindows。Onewaveofthehandkerchiefmeant，’I’mcoming，over’；twowaves，withalittlepausebetween，meant，’Youaretocomeoverhere。’Sotheboyusedtowaitalways，afterthatfirstwavetoseeifanotherfollowed；sothathemightknowwhetherheweretobehostorguestthatday。Thewavesalwayscameateighto’clockinthemorning，andveryeagerlytheboyusedtowatchforthemallthroughthesummerwhenthegirlwasthere。"

"Didtheyalwayscome，everymorning？"AskedJill。

"No；sometimesthegirlhadotherthingstodo。Herauntwouldwanthertogosomewherewithher，orothercousinswereexpectedwhomthegirlmustentertain；andsheknewtheboydidnotlikeothergueststobetherewhenhewas，sosheneveraskedhimtocomeoveratsuchtimes。Onsuchoccasionsshedidsometimesrunuptothetowerateighto’clockandwavethreetimes，andthatmeant，’DeadDay。’Sotheboy，afterall，neverdrewarealbreathofreliefuntilhemadesurethatnodreadedthirdwavewastofollowtheoneorthetwo。"

"Seemstome，"observedDavid，"thatallthiswassortofone-sided。Didn’ttheboysayanything？"

"Oh，yes，"smiledMr。Jack。"Buttheboydidnothaveanytowertowavefrom，youmustremember。Hehadonlythelittlepiazzaonhistinybitofahouse。Butheriggedupapole，andheaskedhismothertomakehimtwolittleflags，aredandablueone。

Theredmeant’Allright’；andthebluemeant’Gottowork’；andtheseheusedtorunuponhispoleinanswertoherwaving’I’mcomingover，’or’Youaretocomeoverhere。’So，yousee，occasionallyitwastheboywhohadtobringthe’DeadDay，’asthereweretimeswhenhehadtowork。And，bytheway，perhapsyouwouldbeinterestedtoknowthatafterawhilehethoughtupathirdflagtoanswerherthreewaves。Hefoundanoldblacksilkhandkerchiefofhisfather’s，andhemadethatintoaflag。

Hetoldthegirlitmeant’I’mheartbroken，’andhesaiditwasasignofthedeepestmourning。Thegirllaughedandtippedherheadsaucilytooneside，andsaid，’Pooh！asifyoureallycared！’Buttheboystoutlymaintainedhisposition，anditwasthat，perhaps，whichmadeherplaythelittlejokeoneday。

"Theboywasfourteenthatsummer，andthegirlthirteen。Theyhadbeguntheirsignalsyearsbefore，buttheyhadnothadtheblackonesolong。OnthisdaythatItellyouof，thegirlwavedthreewaves，whichmeant，’DeadDay，’youremember，andwatcheduntiltheboyhadhoistedhisblackflagwhichsaid，’I’mheart-broken，’inresponse。Then，asfastashermischievouslittlefeetcouldcarryher，sheraceddownonehillandacrosstotheother。Verystealthilysheadvancedtillshefoundtheboybentoverapuzzleonthebackstoop，and——andhewaswhistlingmerrily。

"Howsheteasedhimthen！Howshetauntedhimwith’Heart-broken，indeed——andwhistlinglikethat！’Invainheblushedandstammered，andprotestedthathiswhistlingwasonlytokeepuphisspirits。Thegirlonlylaughedandtossedheryellowcurls；

thenshehuntedtillshefoundsomelittlejinglingbells，andtheseshetiedtotheblackbadgeofmourningandpulledithighupontheflagpole。Thenextinstantshewasoffwitharunandaskip，andasaucywaveofherhand；andtheboywasleftallalonewithanhour’sworkaheadofhimtountietheknotsfromhisdesecratedbadgeofmourning。

"Andyettheywerewonderfullygoodfriends——thisboyandgirl。

Fromtheveryfirst，whentheyweresevenandeight，theyhadsaidthattheywouldmarryeachotherwhentheygrewup，andalwaystheyspokeofitastheexpectedthing，andlaidmanyhappyplansforthetimewhenitshouldcome。Tobesure，astheygrewolder，itwasnotmentionedquitesooften，perhaps；buttheboyatleastthought——ifhethoughtofitall——thatthatwasonlybecauseitwasalreadysowellunderstood。"

"Whatdidthegirlthink？"ItwasJillwhoaskedthequestion。

"Eh？Thegirl？Oh，"answeredMr。Jack，alittlebitterly，"I’mafraidIdon’tknowexactlywhatthegirldidthink，but——itwasn’tthat，anyhow——thatis，judgingfromwhatfollowed。"

"Whatdidfollow？"

"Well，tobeginwith，theoldauntdied。Thegirlwassixteenthen。Itwasinthewinterthatthishappened，andthegirlwasfarawayatschool。Shecametothefuneral，however，buttheboydidnotseeher，saveinthedistance；andthenhehardlyknewher，sostrangedidshelookinherblackdressandhat。Shewasthereonlytwodays，andthoughhegazedwistfullyupatthegraytower，heknewwellenoughthatofcourseshecouldnotwavetohimatsuchatimeasthat。Yethehadhoped——almostbelievedthatshewouldwavetwowavesthatlastday，andlethimgoovertoseeher。

"Butshedidn’twave，andhedidn’tgoover。Shewentaway。Andthenthetownlearnedawonderfulthing。Theoldlady，heraunt，whohadbeenconsideredjustfairlyrich，turnedouttobethepossessorofalmostfabulouswealth，owingtohergreatholdingsofstockinaWesterngoldminewhichhadsuddenlystruckitrich。Andtothegirlshewilleditall。Itwasthen，ofcourse，thatthegirlbecamethePrincess，buttheboydidnotrealizethat——justthen。Tohimshewasstill’thegirl。’

"Forthreeyearshedidnotseeher。Shewasatschool，ortravelingabroad，heheard。He，too，hadbeenawaytoschool，andwas，indeed，justreadytoentercollege。Then，thatsummer，heheardthatshewascomingtotheoldhome，andhisheartsangwithinhim。Remember，tohimshewasstillthegirl。Heknew，ofcourse，thatshewasnottheLITTLEgirlwhohadpromisedtomarryhim。Buthewassureshewasthemerrycomrade，thetrue-heartedyounggirlwhousedtosmilefranklyintohiseyes，andwhomhewasnowtowinforhiswife。Youseehehadforgotten——quiteforgottenaboutthePrincessandthemoney。Suchafoolish，foolishboyashewas！

"Sohegotouthisflagsgleefully，andoneday，whenhismotherwasn’tinthekitchen，heironedoutthewrinklesandsmoothedthemallreadytoberaisedonthepole。Hewouldbereadywhenthegirlwaved——forofcourseshewouldwave；hewouldshowherthathehadnotforgotten。Hecouldseejusthowthesparklewouldcometohereyes，andjusthowthelittlefinelinesofmischiefwouldcrinklearoundhernosewhenshewasreadytogivethatfirstwave。Hecouldimaginethatshewouldliketofindhimnapping；thatshewouldliketotakehimbysurprise，andmakehimscurryaroundforhisflagstoanswerher。

"Buthewouldshowher！Asifshe，agirl，weretobeathimattheiroldgame！Hewonderedwhichitwouldbe：’I’mcomingover，’

or，’Youaretocomeoverhere。’Whicheveritwas，hewouldanswer，ofcourse，withthered’Allright。’Still，itWOULDbeajoketorunuptheblue’Gottowork，’andthenslipacrosstoseeher，justasshe，solongago，hadplayedthejokeonhim！Onthewhole，however，hethoughttheredflagwouldbebetter。Anditwasthatonewhichhelaiduppermostreadytohishand，whenhearrangedthem。

"Atlastshecame。Heheardofitatonce。Itwasalreadypastfouro’clock，buthecouldnotforbear，eventhen，tolooktowardthetower。Itwouldbelikeher，afterall，towavethen，thatverynight，justsoastocatchhimnapping，hethought。Shedidnotwave，however。Theboywassureofthat，forhewatchedthetowertilldark。

"Inthemorning，longbeforeeighto’clock，theboywasready。Hedebatedforsometimewhethertostandoutofdoorsonthepiazza，ortohidebehindthescreenedwindow，wherehecouldstillwatchthetower。Hedecidedatlastthatitwouldbebetternottoletherseehimwhenshelookedtowardthehouse；thenhistriumphwouldbeallthemorecompletewhenhedashedouttorunuphisanswer。

"Eighto’clockcameandpassed。Theboywaiteduntilnine，buttherewasnosignoflifefromthetower。Theboywasangrythen，athimself。Hecalledhimself，indeed，afool，tohideashedid。

Ofcourseshewouldn’twavewhenhewasnowhereinsight——whenhehadapparentlyforgotten！Andherewasawholepreciousdaywasted！

"Thenextmorning，longbeforeeight，theboystoodinplainsightonthepiazza。Asbeforehewaiteduntilnine；andasbeforetherewasnosignoflifeatthetowerwindow。Thenextmorninghewasthereagain，andthenext，andthenext。Ittookjustfivedays，indeed，toconvincetheboy——ashewasconvincedatlast——thatthegirldidnotintendtowaveatall。"

"Buthowunkindofher！"exclaimedDavid。

"Shecouldn’thavebeenniceonebit！"decidedJill。

"Youforget，"saidMr。Jack。"ShewasthePrincess。"

"Huh！"gruntedJillandDavidinunison。

"Theboyremembereditthen，"wentonMr。Jack，afterapause，——"aboutthemoney，andthatshewasaPrincess。Andofcourseheknew——whenhethoughtofit——thathecouldnotexpectthataPrincesswouldwavelikeagirl——justagirl。Besides，verylikelyshedidnotcareparticularlyaboutseeinghim。

Princessesdidforget，hefancied，——theyhadsomuch，soverymuchtofilltheirlives。Itwasthisthoughtthatkepthimfromgoingtoseeher——this，andtherecollectionthat，afterall，ifshereallyHADwantedtoseehim，shecouldhavewaved。

"Therecameaday，however，whenanotheryouth，whodidnotdaretogoalone，persuadedhim，andtogethertheypaidheracall。

Theboyunderstood，then，manythings。HefoundthePrincess；

therewasnosignofthegirl。ThePrincesswastallanddignified，withacoldlittlehandandasmooth，sweetvoice。

Therewasnofranksmileinhereyes，neitherwerethereanymischievouscrinklesabouthernoseandlips。Therewasnomentionoftowersorflags；noreferencetowavingsortochildhood’sdays。Therewasonlyastifflypolitelittleconversationaboutcollegesandtravels，withawordortwoaboutbooksandplays。Thenthecallerswenthome。Onthewaytheboysmiledscornfullytohimself。Hewastryingtopicturethebeauteousvisionhehadseen，thisunapproachablePrincessinherfilmylacegown，——standinginthetowerwindowandwaving——wavingtoabitofahouseontheoppositehill。Asifthatcouldhappen！

"Theboy，duringthoselastthreeyears，hadknownonlybooks。Heknewlittleofgirls——onlyonegirl——andheknewstilllessofPrincesses。Sowhen，threedaysafterthecall，therecameachancetojoinasummercampwithamanwholovedbooksevenbetterthandidtheboyhimself，hewentgladly。Oncehehadrefusedtogoonthisverytrip；butthentherehadbeenthegirl。NowtherewasonlythePrincess——andthePrincessdidn’tcount。"

"Likethehoursthataren’tsunshiny，"interpretedDavid。

"Yes，"corroboratedMr。Jack。"Likethehourswhenthesundoesn’tshine。"

"Andthen？"promptedJill。

"Well，then，——therewasn’tmuchworthtelling，"rejoinedMr。

Jackgloomily。"Twomoreyearspassed，andthePrincessgrewtobetwenty-one。Shecameintofullcontrolofherpropertythen，andafterawhileshecamebacktotheoldstonehousewiththetowersandturneditintoafairylandofbeauty。Shespentmoneylikewater。Allmannerofartists，fromthemanwhopaintedherceilingstothemanwhoplantedherseeds，cameandbowedtoherwill。Fromthefourcornersoftheearthshebroughthertreasuresandlavishedthemthroughthehouseandgrounds。Then，everysummer，shecameherself，andlivedamongthem，averyPrincessindeed。"

"Andtheboy？——whatbecameoftheboy？"demandedDavid。"Didn’theseeher——ever？"

Mr。Jackshookhishead。

"Notoften，David；andwhenhedid，itdidnotmakehimany——happier。Yousee，theboyhadbecomethePauper；youmustn’tforgetthat。"

"Buthewasn’taPauperwhenyoulefthimlast。"

"Wasn’the？Well，then，I’lltellyouaboutthat。Yousee，theboy，eventhoughhedidgoaway，soonfoundoutthatinhisheartthePrincesswasstillthegirl，justthesame。Helovedher，andhewantedhertobehiswife；soforalittle——foraverylittle——hewaswildenoughtothinkthathemightworkandstudyanddogreatthingsintheworlduntilhewasevenaPrincehimself，andthenhecouldmarrythePrincess。"

"Well，couldn’the？"

"No。Tobeginwith，helosthishealth。Then，awaybackinthelittlehouseonthehillsomethinghappened——asomethingthatleftaverypreciouschargeforhimtokeep；andhehadtogobackandkeepit，andtotrytoseeifhecouldn’tfindthatlosthealth，aswell。Andthatisall。"

"All！Youdon’tmeanthatthatistheend！"exclaimedJill。

"That’stheend。"

"Butthatisn’tamiteofaniceend，"complainedDavid。"Theyalwaysgetmarriedandlivehappyeverafter——instories。"

"Dothey？"Mr。Jacksmiledalittlesadly。"Perhapstheydo，David，——instories。"

"Well，can’ttheyinthisone？"

"Idon’tseehow。"

"Whycan’thegotoherandaskhertomarryhim？"

Mr。Jackdrewhimselfupproudly。

"ThePauperandthePrincess？Never！Paupersdon’tgotoPrincesses，David，andsay，’Iloveyou。’"

Davidfrowned。

"Whynot？Idon’tseewhy——iftheywanttodoit。Seemsasifsomehowitmightbefixed。"

"Itcan’tbe，"returnedMr。Jack，hisgazeonthetowersthatcrownedtheoppositehill；"notsolongasalwaysbeforethePauper’seyestherearethosegraywallsbehindwhichhepicturesthePrincessinthemidstofhergoldenluxury。"

ToneitherDavidnorJilldidthechangetothepresenttenseseemstrange。Thestorywasmuchtoorealtothemforthat。

"Well，anyhow，Ithinkitoughttobefixed，"declaredDavid，asherosetohisfeet。

"SodoI——butwecan’tfixit，"laughedJill。"AndI’mhungry。

Let’sseewhatthereistoeat！"

CHAPTERXVIII

DAVIDTOTHERESCUE

Itwasabeautifulmoonlightnight，butforonceDavidwasnotthinkingofthemoon。AllthewaytotheHollyfarmhousehewasthinkingofMr。Jack’sstory，"ThePrincessandthePauper。"Itheldhimstrangely。Hefeltthathenevercouldforgetit。Forsomereasonthathecouldnothaveexplained，itmadehimsad，too，andhisstepwasveryquietashewentupthewalktowardthekitchendoor。

Itwasaftereighto’clock。DavidhadtakensupperwithMr。JackandJill，andnotforsomehourshadhebeenatthefarmhouse。Inthedoorwaynowhestoppedshort；theninstinctivelyhesteppedbackintotheshadow。Inthekitchenakerosenelightwasburning。ItshowedMrs。Hollycryingatthetable，andMr。Holly，white-facedandstern-lipped，staringatnothing。ThenMrs。Hollyraisedherface，drawnandtear-stained，andaskedatremblingquestion。

"Simeon，haveyouthought？Wemightgo——toJohn——for——help。"

Davidwasfrightenedthen，soangrywasthelookthatcameintoSimeonHolly’sface。

"Ellen，we’llhavenomoreofthis，"saidthemanharshly。

"Understand，I’dratherlosethewholethingand——andstarve，thangoto——John。"

Davidfledthen。Upthebackstairshecrepttohisroomandlefthisviolin。AmomentlaterhestoledownagainandsoughtPerryLarsonwhomhehadseensmokinginthebarndoorway。

"Perry，whatisit？"heaskedinatremblingvoice。"Whathashappened——inthere？"Hepointedtowardthehouse。

Themanpuffedforamomentinsilencebeforehetookhispipefromhismouth。

"Well，sonny，Is’poseImayaswelltellye。You’llhaveterknowitsometime，seein’as’twon’tbenosecretlong。They’vehadastrokeo’badluck——Mr。an’Mis’Hollyhas。"

"Whatisit？"

Themanhitchedinhisseat。

"Bysugar，boy，Is’poseifItellye，thereain’tnosartintythatyou’llsenseitatall。Ireckonitain’tinyourclass。"

"Butwhatisit？"

"Well，it’smoney——andonemightaswelltalkmoonshinetoyouasmoney，Is’pose；butheregoesit。It’sathousanddollars，boy，thattheyowed。Here，likethis，"heexplained，rummaginghispocketsuntilhehadfoundasilverdollartolayonhisopenpalm。"Now，jestimagineathousandofthem；that’sheapsan’

heaps——more’nIeverseeinmylife。"

"Likethestars？"guessedDavid。

Themannodded。

"Ex-ACTLY！Well，theyowedthis——Mr。an’Mis’Hollydid——andtheyhadagreedterpayitnextSat’day。Andtheywasallright，too。

Theyhaditplumsavedinthebank，an’wasgoin’terdrawitThursday，termakesure。An’theywasfeelin’mightypertoverit，too，whenter-dayalongcomesthenewsthatsomethin’sbrokekersmashinthatbank，an’they’veshetitup。An’naryacentcantheHollysgitnow——an’maybenever。Anyhow，not’foreit’stoolateforthisjob。"

"Butwon’thewait？——thatmantheyoweitto？Ishouldthinkhe’dhaveto，iftheydidn’thaveittopay。"

"Notmuchhewill，whenit’soldStreeterthat’sgotthemortgageonagoodfatfarmlikethis！"

Daviddrewhisbrowstogetherperplexedly。

"Whatisa——amortgage？"heasked。"Isitanythinglikeaporte-cochere？IKNOWwhatthatis，’causemyLadyoftheRoseshasone；butwehaven’tgotthat——downhere。"

PerryLarsonsighedinexasperation。

"Gosh，ifthatain’t’boutwhatIexpectedofye！No，itain’tevensecondcousintoa——a-thatthingyou’rea-talkin’of。Inplainwordin’，it’sjestthis：Mr。Holly，hesaysterStreeter：

’YougivemeathousanddollarsandI’llpayyebackonasartinday；ifIdon’tpay，youcansellmyfarmfurwhatit’llbring，an’TAKEyerpay。Well，nowhere’tis。Mr。Hollycan’tpay，an’

soStreeterwillputupthefarmfursale。"

"What，withMr。andMrs。HollyLIVINGhere？"

"Sure！Onlythey’llhavetergitout，yeknow。"

"Where’lltheygo？"

"TheLordknows；Idon’t。"

"AndisTHATwhatthey’recryingfor——inthere？——becausethey’vegottogo？"

"Sure！"

"Butisn’tthereanything，anywhere，thatcanbedoneto——stopit？"

"Idon’tseehow，kid，——notunlesssomeoneponiesupwiththemoney’forenextSat’day，——an’athousando’themthingsdon’tgrowonev’rybush，"hefinished，gentlypattingthecoininhishand。

AtthewordsaswiftchangecametoDavid’sface。Hischeekspaledandhiseyesdilatedinterror。Itwasasifaheadofhimhesawayawningabyss，eagertoengulfhim。

"Andyousay——MONEYwould——fixit？"heaskedthickly。

"Ex-ACT-ly！——athousando’them，though，’twouldtake。"

AdawningreliefcameintoDavid’seyes——itwasasifhesawabridgeacrosstheabyss。

"Youmean——thattherewouldn’tANYTHINGdo，onlysilverpieces——likethose？"hequestionedhopefully。

"Sugar，kid，’coursetherewould！Gosh，butyouBEacheckerboardo’sensean’nonsense，an’nomistake！Anymoneywoulddothejob——anymoney！Don’tyesee？Anythingthat’smoney。"

"Wouldg-golddoit？"David’svoicewasveryfaintnow。

"Sure！——gold，orsilver，orgreenbacks，or——oracheck，ifithadthedoughbehindit。"

Daviddidnotappeartohearthelast。Withanoddlystrainedlookhehadhungupontheman’sfirstwords；butattheendofthesentenceheonlymurmured，"Oh，thankyou，"andturnedaway。

Hewaswalkingslowlynowtowardthehouse。Hisheadwasbowed。

Hissteplagged。

"Now，ain’tthatjestlikethatchap，"mutteredtheman，"terslinkofflikethatasifhewasawhippedcur。I’llbettwocentsan’adoughnut，too，thatinfiveminuteshe’llbewhathecalls’playin’it’onthat’erefiddleo’his。An’I’llbederned，too，ifIain’tcuriousterseewhatheWILLmakeofit。

Itstrikesmethisoughtterfetchsomethin’firstcousintoadirge！"

OntheporchstepsDavidpausedabreathlessinstant。FromthekitchencamethesoundofMrs。Holly’ssobsandofasternvoicepraying。Withashudderandalittlechokingcrytheboyturnedthenandcreptsoftlyupstairstohisroom。

Heplayed，too，asPerryLarsonhadwagered。Butitwasnotthetragedyoftheclosedbank，northehonorofthethreatenedfarm-sellingthatfellfromhisviolin。Itwas，instead，theswansongofalittlepileofgold——goldwhichlaynowinachimneycupboard，butwhichwassoontobeplacedatthefeetofthemourningmanandwomandownstairs。Andinthesongwasthesobofaboywhoseeshishouseofdreamsburntoashes；whoseeshiswonderfullifeandworkoutinthewideworldturntoendlessdaysofweed-pullinganddirt-digginginanarrowvalley。Therewasinthesong，too，somethingofthestruggle，thefierceyeaandnayoftheconflict。But，attheend，therewasthewildburstofexaltationofrenunciation，sothatthemaninthebarndoorbelowfairlysprangtohisfeetwithanangry：——

"Gosh！ifhehain’tturnedthethingintoajig——durnhim！Don’theknowmore’nthatatsuchatimeasthis？"

Later，averylittlelater，theshadowyfigureoftheboystoodbeforehim。

"I’vebeenthinking，"stammeredDavid，"thatmaybeI——couldhelp，aboutthatmoney，youknow。"

"Now，looka-here，boy，"explodedPerry，inopenexasperation，"asIsaidinthefirstplace，thisain’tinyourclass。’Tain’tnopinkcloudsailin’inthesky，norabluebirdsingin’inablackb’rrybush。An’youmight’playit’——asyoucallit——tilldoomsday，an’’twouldn’tdonogood——thoughI’mfreeterconfessthatyourplayin’ofthem’ereotherthingssoundsrealpertan’chirkyattimes；but’twon’tdonogoodhere。"

Davidsteppedforward，bringinghissmall，anxiousfacefullintothemoonlight。

"But’twasthemoney，Perry；Imeantabout，themoney，"heexplained。"Theyweregoodtomeandwantedmewhentherewasn’tanyoneelsethatdid；andnowI’dliketodosomethingforthem。

Therearen’tsoMANYpieces，andtheyaren’tsilver。There’sonlyonehundredandsixofthem；Icounted。Butmaybethey’dhelpsome。It——itwouldbea——start。"Hisvoicebrokeovertheoncebelovedword，thenwentonwithrenewedstrength。"There，see！Wouldthesedo？"Andwithbothhandshehelduptoviewhiscapsaggingunderitsweightofgold。

PerryLarson’sjawfellopen。Hiseyesbulged。Dazedlyhereachedoutandtouchedwithtremblingfingerstheheapofshiningdisksthatseemedinthemellowlightlikelittleearth-bornchildrenofthemoonitself。Thenextinstantherecoiledsharply。

"Greatsnakes，boy，where’dyougitthatmoney？"hedemanded。

"Offather。Hewenttothefarcountry，youknow。"

PerryLarsonsnortedangrily。

"Seehere，boy，foronce，ifyecan，talkhorse-sense！Surely，evenYOUdon’texpectmeterbelievethathe’ssentyouthatmoneyfrom——fromwherehe’sgoneto！"

"Oh，no。Heleftit。"

"Leftit！Why，boy，youknowbetter！Therewa’n’tacent——hardly——foundonhim。"

"Hegaveittomebefore——bytheroadside。"

"Gaveittoyou！Whereinthenameofgoodnesshasitbeensince？"

"Inthelittlecupboardinmyroom，behindthebooks。"

"Greatsnakes！"mutteredPerryLarson，reachingouthishandandgingerlypickinguponeofthegold-pieces。

Davideyedhimanxiously。

"Won’tthey——do？"hefaltered。"Therearen’tathousand；there’sonlyahundredandsix；but——"

"Do！"cutintheman，excitedly。Hehadbeenexaminingthegold-pieceatcloserange。"Do！Well，Ireckonthey’lldo。ByJiminy！——andterthinkyou’vehadthisupyersleeveallthistime！Well，I’llbelieveanythin’ofyernow——anythin’！Youcan’tstumpmewithnuthin’！Comeon。"Andhehurriedlyledthewaytowardthehouse。

"Buttheyweren’tupmysleeve，"correctedDavid，ashetriedtokeepupwiththelongstridesoftheman。"ISAIDtheywereinthecupboardinmyroom。"

Therewasnoanswer。Larsonhadreachedtheporchsteps，andhadpausedtherehesitatingly。Fromthekitchenstillcamethesoundofsobs。Asidefromthattherewassilence。Theboy，however，didnothesitate。Hewentstraightupthestepsandthroughtheopenkitchendoor。Atthetablesatthemanandthewoman，theireyescoveredwiththeirhands。

Withaswiftoverturningofhiscap，Daviddumpedhisburdenontothetable，andsteppedbackrespectfully。

"Ifyouplease，sir，wouldthis——helpany？"heasked。

AtthejingleofthecoinsSimeonHollyandhiswifeliftedtheirheadsabruptly。Ahalf-utteredsobdiedonthewoman’slips。A

quickcrycamefromtheman’s。Hereachedforthaneagerhandandhadalmostclutchedthegoldwhenasuddenchangecametohisface。Withasternejaculationhedrewback。

"Boy，wheredidthatmoneycomefrom？"hechallenged。

Davidsighedinadiscouragedway。Itseemedthat，always，theshowingofthisgoldmean’tquestioning——eternalquestioning。

"Surely，"continuedSimeonHolly，"youdidnot——"Withtheboy’sfrankgazeupturnedtohis，themancouldnotfinishhissentence。

BeforeDavidcouldanswercamethevoiceofPerryLarsonfromthekitchendoorway。

"No，sir，hedidn’t，Mr。Holly；an’it’sallstraight，I’mthinkin’——thoughI’mfreeterconfessitdoessoundnutty。Hisdadgiveittohim。"

"His——father！Butwhere——wherehasitbeeneversince？"

"Inthechimneycupboardinhisroom，hesays，sir。"

SimeonHollyturnedinfrowningamazement。

"David，whatdoesthismean？Whyhaveyoukeptthisgoldinaplacelikethat？"

"Why，therewasn’tanythingelsetodowiihit，"answeredtheboyperplexedly。"Ihadn’tanyuseforit，youknow，andfathersaidtokeepittillIneededit。"

"’Hadn’tanyuseforit’！"blusteredLarsonfromthedoorway。

"Jiminy！Now，ain’tthatjestlikethatboy？"

ButDavidhurriedonwithhisexplanation。

"Weneverusedtousethem——fatherandI——excepttobuythingstoeatandwear；anddownhereYOUgivemethose，youknow。"

"Gorry！"interjectedPerryLarson。"Doyoureckon，boy，thatMr。

Hollyhimselfwasgivethemthingshegivesteryou？"

Theboyturnedsharply，astartledquestioninhiseyes。

"Whatdoyoumean？Doyoumeanthat——"Hisfacechangedsuddenly。

Hischeeksturnedashamedred。"Why，hedid——hedidhavetobuythem，ofcourse，justasfatherdid。AndInevereventhoughtofitbefore！Then，it’syours，anyway——itbelongstoyou，"heargued，turningtoFarmerHolly，andshovingthegoldnearertohishands。"Thereisn’tenough，maybe——but’twillhelp！"

"They’reten-dollargoldpieces，sir，"spokeupLarsonimportantly；"an’there’sahundredan’sixofthem。That’sjestonethousandan’sixtydollars，asImakeit。"

SimeonHolly，self-controlledmanthathewas，almostleapedfromhischair。

"Onethousandandsixtydollars！"hegasped。Then，toDavid：

"Boy，inHeaven’sname，whoareyou？"

"Idon’tknow——onlyDavid。"Theboyspokewearily，withagrievedsobinhisvoice。Hewasverytired，agooddealperplexed，andalittleangry。Hewished，ifnoonewantedthisgold，thathecouldtakeitupstairsagaintothechimneycupboard；or，iftheyobjectedtothat，thattheywouldatleastgiveittohim，andlethimgoawaynowtothatbeautifulmusichewastohear，andtothosekindpeoplewhowerealwaystounderstandwhathesaidwhenheplayed。

"Ofcourse，"venturedPerryLarsondiffidently，"Iain’tprofessin’terknowanygreatshakesaboutthehandoftheLord，Mr。Holly，butitdostrikemethatthis’eregoldcomesmightynearbein’proverdential——furyou。"

SimeonHollyfellbackinhisseat。Hiseyesclungtothegold，buthislipssetintorigidlines。

"Thatmoneyistheboy’s，Larson。Itisn’tmine，"hesaid。

"He’sgiveittoye。"

SimeonHollyshookhishead。

"Davidisnothingbutachild，Perry。Hedoesn’trealizeatallwhatheisdoing，norhowvaluablehisgiftis。"

"Iknow，sir，butyouDIDtakehimin，whentherewouldn’tnobodyelsedoit，"arguedLarson。"An’，anyhow，couldn’tyoumakeakindofanIOUofit，evenifheisakid？Then，somedayyoucouldpayhimback。Meanwhileyou’dbea-keepin’him，an’

a-schoolin’him；an’that’ssomethin’。"

"Iknow，Iknow，"noddedSimeonHollythoughtfully，hiseyesgoingfromthegoldtoDavid’sface。Then，aloud，yetasiftohimself，hebreathed："Boy，boy，whowasyourfather？Howcamehebyallthatgold——andhe——atramp！"

Daviddrewhimselfsuddenlyerect。Hiseyesflashed。

"Idon’tknow，sir。ButIdoknowthis：hedidn’tSTEALit！"

AcrossthetableMrs。Hollydrewaquickbreath，butshedidnotspeak——savewithherpleadingeyes。Mrs。Hollyseldomspoke——savewithhereyes——whenherhusbandwassolvingaknottyproblem。Shewasdumfoundednowthatheshouldlistensopatientlytotheman，Larson，——thoughshewasnotmoresurprisedthanwasLarsonhimself。Forbothofthem，however，therecameatthismomentastillgreatersurprise。SimeonHollyleanedforwardsuddenly，thesternlinesquitegonefromhislips，andhisfaceworkingwithemotionashedrewDavidtowardhim。

"You’reagoodson，boy，——agoodloyalson；and——andIwishyouweremine！Ibelieveyou。Hedidn’tstealit，andIwon’tstealit，either。ButIwilluseit，sinceyouaresogoodastoofferit。Butitshallbealoan，David，andsomeday，Godhelpingme，youshallhaveitback。Meanwhile，you’remyboy，David，——myboy！"

"Oh，thankyou，sir，"rejoicedDavid。"And，really，youknow，beingwantedlikethatisbetterthanthestartwouldbe，isn’tit？"

"Betterthan——what？"

Davidshiftedhisposition。Hehadnotmeanttosayjustthat。

"N——nothing，"hestammered，lookingaboutforameansofquickescape。"I——Iwasjusttalking，"hefinished。AndhewasimmeasurablyrelievedtofindthatMr。Hollydidnotpressthematterfurther。

CHAPTERXIX

THEUNBEAUTIFULWORLD

Inspiteoftheexaltationofrenunciation，andinspiteofthejoyofbeingnewlyandespecially"wanted，"thoseearlySeptemberdaysweresometimeshardforDavid。Notuntilhehadrelinquishedallhopeofhis"start"didhefullyrealizewhatthathopehadmeanttohim。

Thereweretimes，tobesure，whentherewasnothingbutrejoicingwithinhimthathewasablethustoaidtheHollys。

Therewereothertimeswhentherewasnothingbutthesoreheartachebecauseofthegreatworkoutinthebeautifulworldthatcouldnowneverbedone；andbecauseoftheunlovelyworkathandthatmustbedone。Totellthetruth，indeed，David’sentireconceptionoflifehadbecomesuddenlyachaosofpuzzlingcontradictions。

ToMr。Jack，oneday，Davidwentwithhisperplexities。Notthathetoldhimofthegold-piecesandoftheunexpectedusetowhichtheyhadbeenput——indeed，no。Davidhadmadeuphismindnever，ifhecouldhelphimself，tomentionthosegold-piecestoanyonewhodidnotalreadyknowofthem。Theymeantquestions，andthequestions，explanations。Andhehadhadenoughofbothonthatparticularsubject。ButtoMr。Jackhesaidoneday，whentheywerealonetogether：——

"Mr。Jack，howmanyfolkshaveyougotinsideofyourhead？"

"Eh——what，David？"

Davidrepeatedhisquestionandattachedanexplanation。

"Imean，thefolksthat——thatmakeyoudothings。"

Mr。Jacklaughed。

"Well，"hesaid，"Ibelievesomepeoplemakeclaimstoquiteanumber，andperhapsalmosteveryoneownstoaDr。JekyllandaMr。Hyde。"

"Whoarethey？"

"Nevermind，David。Idon’tthinkyouknowthegentlemen，anyhow。

They’reonlysomethinglikethelittlegirlwithacurl。Oneisvery，verygood，indeed，andtheotherishorrid。"

"Oh，yes，Iknowthem；they’retheonesthatcometome，"

returnedDavid，withasigh。"I’vehadthemalot，lately。"

Mr。Jackstared。

"Oh，haveyou？"

"Yes；andthat’swhat’sthetrouble。Howcanyoudrivethemoff——theonethatisbad，Imean？"

"Well，really，"confessedMr。Jack，"I’mnotsureIcantell。Yousee——thegentlemenvisitmesometimes。"

"Oh，dothey？"

"Yes。"

"I’msoglad——thatis，Imean，"amendedDavid，inanswertoMr。

Jack’supliftedeyebrows，"I’mgladthatyouunderstandwhatI’mtalkingabout。Yousee，ItriedPerryLarsonlastnightonit，togethimtotellmewhattodo。Butheonlystaredandlaughed。Hedidn’tknowthenamesof’em，anyhow，asyoudo，andatlasthegotreallyalmostangryandsaidImadehimfeelso’buggy’and’creepy’thathewouldn’tdarelookathimselfintheglassifI

kepton，forfearsomeonehe’dneverknownwasthereshouldjumpoutathim。"

Mr。Jackchuckled。

"Well，Isuspect，David，thatPerryknewoneofyourgentlemenbythenameof’conscience，’perhaps；andIalsosuspectthatmaybeconsciencedoesprettynearlyfillthebill，andthatyou’vebeenhavingaboutwiththat。Eh？Now，whatisthetrouble？Tellmeaboutit。"

Davidstirreduneasily。Insteadofanswering，heaskedanotherquestion。

"Mr。Jack，itisabeautifulworld，isn’tit？"

Foramomenttherewasno，answer；thenalowvoicereplied：——

"Yourfathersaiditwas，David。"

AgainDavidmovedrestlessly。

"Yes；butfatherwasonthemountain。Anddownhere——well，downheretherearelotsofthingsthatIdon’tbelieveheknewabout。"

"What，forinstance？"

"Why，lotsofthings——toomanytotell。Ofcoursetherearethingslikecatchingfish，andkillingbirdsandsquirrelsandotherthingstoeat，andplaguingcatsanddogs。Fatherneverwouldhavecalledthosebeautiful。ThenthereareotherslikelittleJimmyClarkwhocan’twalk，andthemanattheMarstons’

who’ssick，andJoeGlaspellwhoisblind。ThentherearestilldifferentoneslikeMr。Holly’slittleboy。Perrysaysheranawayyearsandyearsago，andmadehispeopleveryunhappy。

Fatherwouldn’tcallthatabeautifulworld，wouldhe？Andhowcanpeoplelikethatalwaysplayintune？AndtherearethePrincessandthePauperthatyoutoldabout。"

"Oh，thestory？"

"Yes；andpeoplelikethemcan’tbehappyandthinktheworldisbeautiful，ofcourse。"

"Whynot？"

"Becausetheydidn’tendright。Theydidn’tgetmarriedandlivehappyeverafter，youknow。"

"Well，Idon’tthinkI’dworryaboutthat，David，——atleast，notaboutthePrincess。Ifancytheworldwasverybeautifultoher，allright。ThePauper——well，perhapshewasn’tveryhappy。But，afterall，David，youknowhappinessissomethinginsideofyourself。Perhapshalfofthesepeoplearehappy，intheirway。"

"There！andthat’sanotherthing，"sighedDavid。"Yousee，I

foundthatout——thatitwasinsideofyourself——quiteawhileago，andItoldtheLadyoftheRoses。ButnowI——can’tmakeitworkmyself。"

"What’sthematter？"

"Well，youseethensomethingwasgoingtohappen——somethingthatIliked；andIfoundthatjustthinkingofitmadeitsothatI

didn’tmindrakingorhoeing，oranythinglikethat；andItoldtheLadyoftheRoses。AndItoldherthatevenifitwasn’tgoingtohappenshecouldTHINKitwasgoingto，andthatthatwouldbejustthesame，because’twasthethinkingthatmademyhourssunnyones。Itwasn’ttheDOINGatall。IsaidIknewbecauseIhadn’tDONEityet。See？"

"I——thinkso，David。"

"Well，I’vefoundoutthatitisn’tthesameatall；fornowthatIKNOWthatthisbeautifulthingisn’tevergoingtohappentome，Icanthinkandthinkallday，anditdoesn’tdoamiteofgood。Thesunisjustashot，andmybackachesjustashard，andthefieldisjustasbigandendlessasitusedtobewhenI

hadtocallitthatthosehoursdidn’tcount。Now，whatisthematter？"

Mr。Jacklaughed，butheshookhisheadalittlesadly。

"You’regettingintotoodeepwatersforme，David。Isuspectyou’reflounderinginaseathathasupsettheboatsofsagessincetheworldbegan。Butwhatisitthatwassonice，andthatisn’tgoingtohappen？PerhapsIMIGHThelponthat。"

"No，youcouldn’t，"frownedDavid；"andtherecouldn’tanybody，either，yousee，becauseIwouldn’tgobacknowandLETithappen，anyhow，aslongasIknowwhatIdo。Why，ifIdid，therewouldn’tbeANYhoursthatweresunnythen——noteventheonesafterfouro’clock；I——I’dfeelsomean！ButwhatIdon’tseeisjusthowIcanfixitupwiththeLadyoftheRoses。"

"Whathasshetodowithit？"

"Why，attheveryfirst，whenshesaidshedidn’thaveANY

sunshinyhours，Itoldher——"

"Whenshesaidwhat？"interposedMr。Jack，comingsuddenlyerectinhischair。