第9章

"Mrs。HollysaidIwastowalkrightin，David，sohereIam，"

shebegan，inacheeryvoice。"Oh，you’relookinglotsbetterthanwhenIsawyouMonday，youngman！"

"Iambetter，"caroledDavid；"andto-dayI’m’speciallybetter，becauseMr。Jackhasbeenhere。"

"Oh，hasMr。Jackbeentoseeyouto-day？"TherewasanindefinablechangeinMissHolbrook’svoice。

"Yes，rightnow。Why，hewasherewhenyouweredrivingintotheyard。"

MissHolbrookgaveaperceptiblestartandlookedaboutheralittlewildly。

"Herewhen——ButIdidn’tmeethimanywhere——inthehall。"

"Hedidn’tgothroughthehall，"laughedDavidgleefully。"Hewentrightthroughthatwindowthere。"

"Thewindow！"AnangryflushmountedtoMissHolbrook’sforehead。"Indeed，didhehavetoresorttothattoescape——"Shebitherlipandstoppedabruptly。

David’seyeswidenedalittle。

"Escape？Oh，HEwasn’ttheonethatwasescaping。ItwasPerry。

Mr。Jackwasafraidhe’dlosehim。Hesawhimoutthewindowthere，rightafterhe’dseenyou，andhesaidhewantedtospeaktohimandhewasafraidhe’dgetaway。Sohejumpedrightthroughthatwindowthere。See？"

"Oh，yes，I——see，"murmuredMissHolbrook，inavoiceDavidthoughtwasalittlequeer。

"Iwantedhimtostay，"frownedDaviduncertainly。"Iwantedhimtoseeyou。"

"Dearme，David，Ihopeyoudidn’ttellhimso。"

"Oh，yes，Idid。Buthecouldn’tstay，eventhen。Yousee，hewantedtocatchPerryLarson。"

"I’venodoubtofit，"retortedMissHolbrook，withsomuchemphasisthatDavidagainlookedatherwithaslightlydisturbedfrown。

"Buthe’llcomeagainsoon，I’msure，andthenmaybeyou’llbehere，too。Idosowanthimtoseeyou，LadyoftheRoses！"

"Nonsense，David！"laughedMissHolbrookalittlenervously。

"Mr。——Mr。Gurnseydoesn’twanttoseeme。He’sseenmedozensoftimes。"

"Oh，yes，hetoldmehe’dseenyoulongago，"noddedDavidgravely；"buthedidn’tactasifheremembereditmuch。"

"Didn’the，indeed！"laughedMissHolbrook，againflushingalittle。"Well，I’msure，dear，wewouldn’twanttotaxthepoorgentleman’smemorytoomuch，youknow。Come，supposeyouseewhatI’vebroughtyou，"shefinishedgayly。

"Oh，whatisit？"criedDavid，as，underMissHolbrook’sswiftfingers，thewrappingsfellawayanddisclosedaboxwhich，uponbeingopened，wasfoundtobefilledwithquantitiesofoddlyshapedbitsofpicturedwood——ajumbleofconfusion。

"It’sajig-sawpuzzle，David。Alltheselittlepiecesfittedtogethermakeapicture，yousee。ItriedlastnightandIcouldn’tdoit。Ibroughtitdowntoseeifyoucould。"

"Oh，thankyou！I’dloveto，"rejoicedtheboy。Andinthefascinationofthemarveloffindingonefantasticbitthatfittedanother，DavidapparentlyforgotallaboutMr。Jack——whichseemednotunpleasingtohisLadyoftheRoses。

ItwasnotuntilnearlyaweeklaterthatDavidhadhiswishofseeinghisMr。JackandhisLadyoftheRosesmeetathisbedside。ItwasthedayMissHolbrookbroughttohimthewonderfulsetofhandsomelybound"WaverleyNovels。"Hewasstillgloryinginhisnewpossession，infact，whenMr。Jackappearedsuddenlyinthedoorway。

"Hullomyboy，Ijust——Oh，Ibegyourpardon。Isupposedyouwere——alone，"hestammered，lookingveryredindeed。

"Heis——thatis，hewillbe，soon——exceptforyou，Mr。Gurnsey，"

smiledMissHolbrook，verybrightly。Shewasalreadyonherfeet。

"No，no，Ibegofyou，"stammeredMr。Jack，growingstillmorered。"Don’tletmedrive——thatis，Imean，don’tgo，please。I

didn’tknow。Ihadnowarning——Ididn’tsee——Yourcarriagewasnotatthedoorto-day。"

MissHolbrook’seyebrowsrosethefractionofaninch。

"Isentithome。Iamplanningtowalkback。Ihaveseveralcallstomakeontheway；andit’shightimeIwasstarting。Good-bye，David。"

"But，Lady，oftheRoses，please，please，don’tgo，"besoughtDavid，whohadbeenlookingfromonetotheotherinworrieddismay。"Why，you’vejustcome！"

Butneithercoaxingnorargumentavailed；andbeforeDavidreallyknewjustwhathadhappened，hefoundhimselfalonewithMr。

Jack。

Eventhendisappointmentwaspiledondisappointment，forMr。

Jack’svisitwasnottheunalloyedhappinessitusuallywas。Mr。

Jackhimselfwasalmostcrossatfirst，andthenhewassilentandrestless，movingjerkilyabouttheroominawaythatdisturbedDavidverymuch。

Mr。Jackhadbroughtwithhimabook；buteventhatonlymademattersworse，forwhenhesawthebeautifullyboundvolumesthatMissHolbrookhadjustleft，hefrowned，andtoldDavidthatheguessedhedidnotneedhisgiftatall，withallthoseotherfinebooks。AndDavidcouldnotseemtomakehimunderstandthattheonebookfromhimwasjustexactlyasdearaswerethewholesetofbooksthathisLadyoftheRosesbrought。

Certainlyitwasnotasatisfactoryvisitatall，andforthefirsttimeDavidwasalmostgladtohaveMr。Jackgoandleavehimwithhisbooks。TheBOOKS，Davidtoldhimself，hecouldunderstand；Mr。Jackhecouldnot——to-day。

SeveraltimesafterthisDavid’sLadyoftheRosesandMr。Jackhappenedtocallatthesamehour；butnevercouldDavidpersuadethesetwofriendsofhistostaytogether。Always，ifonecameandtheotherwasthere，theotherwentaway，inspiteofDavid’sprotestationsthattwopeopledidnottirehimatallandhisassertionsthatheoftenentertainedasmanyasthatatonce。

Tractableastheywereinallotherways，anxiousastheyseemedtopleasehim，onthisonepointtheywereobdurate：neverwouldtheystaytogether。

Theywerenotangrywitheachother——Davidwassureofthat，fortheywerealwaysveryespeciallypolite，androse，andstood，andbowedinamostdelightfulfashion。Still，hesometimesthoughtthattheydidnotquitelikeeachother，foralways，aftertheonewentaway，theother，leftbehind，wassilentandalmoststern——ifitwasMr。Jack；andflushed-facedandnervous——ifitwasMissHolbrook。ButwhythiswassoDavidcouldnotunderstand。

ThespanofhandsomeblackhorsescameveryfrequentlytotheHollyfarmhousenow，andastimepassedtheyoftenboreawaybehindthemawhite-facedbuthappy-eyedboyontheseatbesideMissHolbrook。

"My，butIdon’tseehoweveryonecanbesogoodtome！"

exclaimedtheboy，oneday，tohisLadyoftheRoses。

"Oh，that’seasy，David，"shesmiled。"Theonlytroubleistofindoutwhatyouwant——youaskforsolittle。"

"ButIdon’tneedtoask——youdoitallbeforehand，"assertedthe，boy。"youandMr。Jack，andeverybody。"

"Really？That’sgood。"ForabriefmomentMissHolbrookhesitated；then，asifcasually，sheasked："Andhetellsyoustories，too，Isuppose，——thisMr。Jack，——justasheusedto，doesn’the？"

"Well，heneverdidtellmebutone，youknow，before；buthe’stoldmemorenow，sinceI’vebeensick。"

"Oh，yes，Iremember，andthatonewas’ThePrincessandthePauper，’wasn’tit？Well，hashetoldyouanymore——like——that？"

Theboyshookhisheadwithdecision。

"No，hedoesn’ttellmeanymorelikethat，and——andIdon’twanthimto，either。"

MissHolbrooklaughedalittleoddly。

"Why，David，whatisthematterwiththat？"shequeried。

"Theending；itwasn’tnice，youknow。"

"Oh，yes，I——Iremember。"

"I’veaskedhimtochangeit，"wentonDavid，inagrievedvoice。

"Iaskedhimjusttheotherday，buthewouldn’t。"

"Perhapshe——hedidn’twantto。"MissHolbrookspokeveryquickly，butsolowthatDavidbarelyheardthewords。

"Didn’twantto？Oh，yes，hedid！Helookedawfulsober，andasifhereallycared，youknow。Andhesaidhe’dgiveallhehadintheworldifhereallycouldchangeit，buthecouldn’t。"

"Didhesay——justthat？"MissHolbrookwasleaningforwardalittlebreathlesslynow。

"Yes——justthat；andthat’sthepartIcouldn’tunderstand，"

commentedDavid。"ForIdon’tseewhyastory——justastorymadeupoutofsomebody’shead——can’tbechangedanywayyouwantit。

AndItoldhimso。"

"Well，andwhatdidhesaytothat？"

"Hedidn’tsayanythingforaminute，andIhadtoaskhimagain。Thenhesatupsuddenly，justasifhe’dbeenasleep，youknow，andsaid，’Eh，what，David？’AndthenItoldhimagainwhatI’dsaid。Thistimeheshookhishead，andsmiledthatkindofasmilethatisn’treallyasmile，youknow，andsaidsomethingaboutareal，true-to-lifestory’sneverhavingbutoneending，andthatwasalogicalending。LadyoftheRoses，whatisalogicalending？"

TheLadyoftheRoseslaughedunexpectedly。Thetwolittleredspots，thatDavidalwayslovedtosee，flamedintohercheeks，andhereyesshowedasuddensparkle。Whensheanswered，herwordscamedisconnectedly，withlittlelaughingbreathsbetween。

"Well，David，I——I’mnotsureIcan——tellyou。ButperhapsI——canfindout。Thismuch，however，Iamsureof：Mr。Jack’slogicalendingwouldn’tbe——mine！"

WhatshemeantDaviddidnotknow；norwouldshetellhimwhenheasked；butafewdayslatershesentforhim，andverygladlyDavid——ablenowtogowherehepleased——obeyedthesummons。

ItwasNovember，andthegardenwasbleakandcold；butinthelibraryabrightfiredancedonthehearth，andbeforethisMissHolbrookdrewuptwolowchairs。

Shelookedparticularlypretty，Davidthought。Therichredofherdresshadapparentlybroughtoutanansweringredinhercheeks。Hereyeswereverybrightandherlipssmiled；yetsheseemedoddlynervousandrestless。Shesewedalittle，withabitofyellowsilkonwhite——butnotforlong。Sheknittedwithtwolongivoryneedlesflashinginandoutofasilkymeshofblue——butthis，too，shesoonceaseddoing。OnalowstandatDavid’ssideshehadplacedbooksandpictures，andforatimeshetalkedofthose。Thenveryabruptlysheasked：——

"David，whenwillyousee——Mr。Jackagain——doyousuppose？"

"Tomorrow。I’mgoinguptotheHousethatJackBuilttotea，andI’mtostayallnight。It’sHalloween——thatis，itisn’treallyHalloween，becauseit’stoolate。Ilostthat，beingsick，youknow。Sowe’regoingtopretend，andMr。Jackisgoingtoshowmewhatitislike。ThatiswhatMr。JackandJillalwaysdo；whensomethingailstherealthing，theyjustpretendwiththemake-believeone。He’splannedlotsofthingsforJillandmetodo；withnutsandapplesandcandles，youknow。It’sto-morrownight。soI’llseehimthen。"

"To-morrow？So——sosoon？"falteredMissHolbrook。AndtoDavid，gazingatherwithwonderingeyes，itseemedforamomentalmostasifshewerelookingaboutforaplacetowhichshemightrunandhide。Thendeterminedly，asifsheweretakingholdofsomethingwithbothhands，sheleanedforward，lookedDavidsquarelyintheeyes，andbegantotalkhurriedly，yetverydistinctly。

"David，listen。I’vesomethingIwantyoutosaytoMr。Jack，andIwantyoutobesureandgetitjustright。It’saboutthe——thestory，’ThePrincessandthePauper，’youknow。Youcanremember，Ithink，foryourememberedthatsowell。Willyousayittohim——whatI’mgoingtotellyou——justasIsayit？"

"Why，ofcourseIwill！"David’spromisewasunhesitating，thoughhiseyeswerestillpuzzled。

"It’saboutthe——theending，"stammeredMissHolbrook。"Thatis，itmay——itmayhavesomethingtodowiththeending——perhaps，"

shefinishedlamely。AndagainDavidnoticedthatoddshiftingofMissHolbrook’sgazeasifsheweresearchingforsomemeansofescape。Then，asbefore，hesawherchinliftdeterminedly，asshebegantotalkfasterthanever。

"Now，listen，"sheadmonishedhim，earnestly。

AndDavidlistened。

CHAPTERXXIV

ASTORYREMODELED

ThepretendedHalloweenwasagreatsuceess。Soveryexcited，indeed，didDavidbecomeovertheswingingapplesandpoppingnutsthathequiteforgottotellMr。JackwhattheLadyoftheRoseshadsaiduntilJillhadgoneuptobedandhehimselfwasabouttotakefromMr。Jack’shandthelittlelightedlamp。

"Oh，Mr。Jack，Iforgot，"hecriedthen。"TherewassomethingI

wasgoingtotellyou。"

"Nevermindto-night，David；it’ssolate。Supposeweleaveituntilto-morrow，"suggestedMr。Jack，stillwiththelampextendedinhishand。

"ButIpromisedtheLadyoftheRosesthatI’dsayitto-night，"

demurredtheboy，inatroubledvoice。

Themandrewhislamphalfwaybacksuddenly。

"TheLadyoftheRoses！Doyoumean——shesentamessage——toME？"

hedemanded。

"Yes；aboutthestory，’ThePrincessandthePauper，’youknow。"

WithanabruptexclamationMr。Jacksetthelamponthetableandturnedtoachair。Hehadapparentlylosthishastetogotobed。

"Seehere，David，supposeyoucomeandsitdown，andtellmejustwhatyou’retalkingabout。Andfirst——justwhatdoestheLadyoftheRosesknowaboutthat——that’PrincessandthePauper’？"

"Why，sheknowsitall，ofcourse，"returnedtheboyinsurprise。

"Itoldittoher。"

"You——told——it——toher！"Mr。Jackrelaxedinhischair。"David！"

"Yes。Andshewasjustasinterestedascouldbe。"

"Idon’tdoubtit！"Mr。Jack’slipssnappedtogetheralittlegrimly。

"Onlyshedidn’tliketheending，either。"

Mr。Jacksatupsuddenly。

"Shedidn’tlike——David，areyousure？DidsheSAYthat？"

Davidfrownedinthought。

"Well，Idon’tknowasIcantell，exactly，butI’msureshedidn’tlikeit，becausejustbeforeshetoldmeWHATtosaytoyou，shesaidthat——thatwhatshewasgoingtosaywouldprobablyhavesomethingtodowiththeending，anyway。Still——"Davidpausedinyetdeeperthought。"Cometothinkofit，therereallyisn’tanything——notinwhatshesaid——thatCHANGEDthatending，asI

cansee。Theydidn’tgetmarriedandlivehappyeverafter，anyhow。"

"Yes，butwhatdidshesay？"askedMr。Jackinavoicethatwasnotquitesteady。"Now，becareful，David，andtellitjustasshesaidit。"

"Oh，Iwill，"noddedDavid。"SHEsaidtodothat，too。"

"Didshe？"Mr。Jackleanedfartherforwardinhischair。"Buttellme，howdidshehappento——tosayanythingaboutit？Supposeyoubeginatthebeginning——awayback，David。Iwanttohearitall——all！"

Davidgaveacontentedsigh，andsettledhimselfmorecomfortably。

"Well，tobeginwith，yousee，Itoldherthestorylongago，beforeIwassick，andshewaseversointerestedthen，andaskedlotsofquestions。Thentheotherdaysomethingcameup——I’veforgottenhow——abouttheending，andItoldherhowhardI’dtriedtohaveyouchangeit，butyouwouldn’t。Andshespokerightupquickandsaidprobablyyoudidn’twanttochangeit，anyhow。ButofcourseIsettledTHATquestionwithoutanytrouble，"wentonDavidconfidently，"byjusttellingherhowyousaidyou’dgiveanythingintheworldtochangeit。"

"Andyoutoldherthat——justthat，David？"criedtheman。

"Why，yes，Ihadto，"answeredDavid，insurprise，"elseshewouldn’thaveknownthatyouDIDwanttochangeit。Don’tyousee？"

"Oh，yes！I——see——agooddealthatI’mthinkingyoudon’t，"

mutteredMr。Jack，falligbackinhischair。

"Well，theniswhenItoldheraboutthelogicalending——whatyousaid，youknow，——oh，yes！andthatwaswhenIfoundoutshedidn’tliketheending，becauseshelaughedsuchafunnylittlelaughandcoloredup，andsaidthatshewasn’tsureshecouldtellmewhatalogicalendingwas，butthatshewouldtrytofindout，andthat，anyhow，YOURendingwouldn’tbehers——shewassureofthat。"

"David，didshesaythat——really？"Mr。Jackwasonhisfeetnow。

"Shedid；andthenyesterdaysheaskedmetocomeover，andshesaidsomemorethings，——aboutthestory，Imean，——butshedidn’tsayanotherthingabouttheending。Shedidn’teversayanythingaboutthatexceptthatlittlebitItoldyouofaminuteago。"

"Yes，yes，butwhatdidshesay？"demandedMr。Jack，stoppingshortinhiswalkupanddowntheroom。

"Shesaid：’YoutellMr。JackthatIknowsomethingaboutthatstoryofhisthatperhapshedoesn’t。Inthefirstplace，IknowthePrincessalotbetterthanhedoes，andsheisn’tabitthekindofgirlhe’spicturedher。"

"Yes！Goon——goon！"

"’Now，forinstance，’shesays，’whentheboymadethatcall，afterthegirlfirstcameback，andwhentheboydidn’tlikeitbecausetheytalkedofcollegesandtravels，andsuchthings，youtellhimthatIhappentoknowthatthatgirlwasjusthopingandhopinghe’dspeakoftheolddaysandgames；butthatshecouldn’tspeak，ofcourse，whenhehadn’tbeenevenoncetoseeherduringallthoseweeks，andwhenhe’dactedineverywayjustasifhe’dforgotten。’"

"Butshehadn’twaved——thatPrincesshadn’twaved——once！"

arguedMr。Jack；"andhelookedandlookedforit。"

"Yes，SHEspokeofthat，"returnedDavid。"ButSHEsaidsheshouldn’tthinkthePrincesswouldhavewaved，whenshe’dgottobesuchagreatbiggirlasthat——WAVINGtoaBOY！Shesaidthatforherpartsheshouldhavebeenashamedofherifshehad！"

"Oh，didshe！"murmuredMr。Jackblankly，droppingsuddenlyintohischair。

"Yes，shedid，"repeatedDavid，withalittlevirtuousupliftingofhischin。

ItwasplaintobeseenthatDavid’ssympathieshadunaccountablymetwithachangeofheart。

"But——thePauper——"

"Oh，yes，andthat’sanotherthing，"interruptedDavid。"TheLadyoftheRosessaidthatshedidn’tlikethatnameonebit；thatitwasn’ttrue，anyway，becausehewasn’tapauper。Andshesaid，too，thatasforhispicturingthePrincessasbeingperfectlyhappyinallthatmagnificence，hedidn’tgetitrightatall。ForSHEknewthatthePrincesswasn’tonebithappy，becauseshewassolonesomeforthingsandpeopleshehadknownwhenshewasjustthegirl。"

AgainMr。Jacksprangtohisfeet。Foraminutehestrodeupanddowntheroominsilence；theninashakingvoiceheasked：——

"David，you——youaren’tmakingallthisup，areyou？You’resayingjustwhat——whatMissHolbrooktoldyouto？"

"Why，ofcourse，I’mnotmakingitup，"protestedtheboyaggrievedly。"ThisistheLadyoftheRoses’story——SHEmadeitup——onlyshetalkeditasif’twasreal，ofcourse，justasyoudid。Shesaidanotherthing，too。ShesaidthatshehappenedtoknowthatthePrincesshadgotallthatmagnificencearoundherinthefirstplacejusttoseeifitwouldn’tmakeherhappy，butthatithadn’t，andthatnowshehadoneplace——alittleroom——thatwasleftjustasitusedtobewhenshewasthegirl，andthatshewentthereandsatveryoften。Andshesaiditwasrightinsightofwheretheboylived，too，wherehecouldseeiteveryday；andthatifhehadn’tbeensoblindhecouldhavelookedrightthroughthosegraywallsandseenthat，andseenlotsofotherthings。Andwhatdidshemeanbythat，Mr。Jack？"

"Idon’tknow——Idon’tknow，David，"half-groanedMr。Jack。

"SometimesIthinkshemeans——andthenIthinkthatcan’tbe——true。"

"Butdoyouthinkit’shelpeditany——thestory？"persistedtheboy。"She’sonlytalkedalittleaboutthePrincess。Shedidn’treallychangethingsany——nottheending。"

"Butshesaiditmight，David——shesaiditmight！Don’tyouremember？"criedthemaneagerly。AndtoDavid，hiseagernessdidnotseematallstrange。Mr。Jackhadsaidbefore——longago——thathewouldbeverygladindeedtohaveahappierendingtothistale。"Thinknow，"continuedtheman。"Perhapsshesaidsomethingelse，too。Didshesayanythingelse，David？"

Davidshookhisheadslowly。

"No，only——yes，therewasalittlesomething，butitdoesn’tCHANGEthingsany，foritwasonlya’supposing。’Shesaid：’Justsupposing，afterlongyears，thatthePrincessfoundoutabouthowtheboyfeltlongago，andsupposeheshouldlookupatthetowersomeday，attheoldtime，andseeaONE——TWOwave，whichmeant，"Comeovertoseeme。"Justwhatdoyousupposehewoulddo？’Butofcourse，THATcan’tdoanygood，"finishedDavidgloomily，asherosetogotobed，"forthatwasonlya’supposing。’"

"Ofcourse，"agreedMr。Jacksteadily；andDaviddidnotknowthatonlysternself-controlhadforcedthesteadinessintothatvoice，northat，forMr。Jack，thewholeworldhadburstsuddenlyintosong。

NeitherdidDavid，thenextmorning，knowthatlongbeforeeighto’clockMr。Jackstoodatacertainwindow，hiseyesunswervinglyfixedonthegraytowersofSunnycrest。WhatDaviddidknow，however，wasthatjustaftereight，Mr。JackstrodethroughtheroomwhereheandJillwereplayingcheckers，flunghimselfintohishatandcoat，andthenfairlyleapeddownthestepstowardthepaththatledtothefootbridgeatthebottomofthehill。

"Why，whateverintheworldailsJack？"gaspedJill。Then，afterastartledpause，sheasked。"David，dofolksevergocrazyforjoy？Yesterday，yousee，Jackgottwosplendidpiecesofnews。

Onewasfromhisdoctor。Hewasexamined，andhe’sfine，thedoctorsays；allwell，sohecangoback，nowanytime，tothecityandwork。Ishallgotoschoolthen，youknow，——ayoungladies’school，"shefinished，alittleimportantly。

"He’swell？Howsplendid！Butwhatwastheothernews？Yousaidthereweretwo；onlyitcouldn’thavebeennicerthanthatwas；

tobewell——allwell！"

"Theother？Well，thatwasonlythathisoldplaceinthecitywaswaitingforhim。Hewaswithafirmofbiglawyers，youknow，andofcourseitisnicetohaveaplaceallwaiting。ButIcan’tseeanythinginthosethingstomakehimactlikethis，now。Canyou？"

"Why，yes，maybe，"declaredDavid。"He’sfoundhiswork——don’tyousee？——outintheworld，andhe’sgoingtodoit。IknowhowI’dfeelifIhadfoundminethatfathertoldmeof！OnlywhatI

can’tunderstandis，ifMr。Jackknewallthisyesterday，whydidn’theactlikethisthen，insteadofwaitingtillto-day？"

"Iwonder，"saidJill。

CHAPTERXXV

THEBEAUTIFULWORLD

Davidfoundmanynewsongsinhisviolinthoseearlywinterdays，andtheywereverybeautifulones。Tobeginwith，therewereallthekindlylooksanddeedsthatwereshowereduponhimfromeveryside。Therewasthefirstsnowstorm，too，withthefeatheryflakesturningalltheworldtofairywhiteness。ThissongDavidplayedtoMr。Streeter，oneday，andgreatwashisdisappointmentthatthemancouldnotseemtounderstandwhatthesongsaid。

"Butdon’tyousee？"pleadedDavid。"I’mtellingyouthatit’syourpear-treeblossomscomebacktosayhowgladtheyarethatyoudidn’tkillthemthatday。"

"Pear-treeblossoms——comeback！"ejaculatedtheoldman。"Well，no，Ican’tsee。Where’syerpear-treeblossoms？"

"Why，there——outofthewindow——everywhere，"urgedtheboy。

"THERE！Byginger！boy——yedon’tmean——yeCAN’TmeantheSNOW！"

"OfcourseIdo！Now，can’tyouseeit？Why，thewholetreewasjustagreatbigcloudofsnowflakes。Don’tyouremember？Well，nowit’sgoneawayandgotawholelotmoretrees，andallthelittlewhitepetalshavecomedancingdowntocelebrate，andtotellyoutheysurearecomingbacknextyear。"

"Well，byginger！"exclaimedthemanagain。Then，suddenly，hethrewbackhisheadwithaheartylaugh。Daviddidnotquitelikethelaugh，neitherdidhecareforthefive-centpiecethatthemanthrustintohisfingersalittlelater；though——hadDavidbutknownit——boththelaughandthefive-centpiecegiftwere——fortheuncomprehendingmanwhogavethem——whitemilestonesalonganunfamiliarway。

ItwassoonafterthisthattherecametoDavidthegreatsurprise——hisbelovedLadyoftheRosesandhisnolessbelovedMr。JackweretobemarriedatthebeginningoftheNewYear。Soverysurprised，indeed，wasDavidatthis，thatevenhisviolinwasmute，andhadnothing，atfirst，tosayaboutit。ButtoMr。

Jack，asmantoman，Davidsaidoneday：——

"Ithoughtmen，whentheymarriedwomen，wentcourting。Instory-bookstheydo。Andyou——youhardlyeversaidawordtomybeautifulLadyoftheRoses；andyouspokeonce——longago——asifyouscarcelyrememberedheratall。Now，whatdoyoumeanbythat？"

AndMr。Jacklaughed，buthegrewred，too，——andthenhetolditall，——thatitwasjustthestoryof"ThePrincessandthePauper，"andthathe，David，hadbeentheone，asithappened，todopartoftheircourtingforthem。

AndhowDavidhadlaughedthen，andhowhehadfairlyhuggedhimselfforjoy！Andwhennexthehadpickeduphisviolin，whatabeautiful，beautifulsonghehadfoundaboutitinthevibrantstrings！

Itwasthissamesong，asitchanced，thathewasplayinginhisroomthatSaturdayafternoonwhentheletterfromSimeonHolly’slong-lostsonJohncametotheHollyfarmhouse。

Downstairsinthekitchen，SimeonHollystood，withtheletterinhishand。

"Ellen，we’vegotaletterfrom——John，"hesaid。ThatSimeonHollyspokeofitatallshowedhowveryfaralongHISunfamiliarwayhehadcomesincethelastletterfromJohnhadarrived。

"From——John？Oh，Simeon！FromJohn？"

"Yes。"

Simeonsatdownandtriedtohidetheshakingofhishandasheranthepointofhisknifeundertheflapoftheenvelope。"We’llseewhat——hesays。"Andtohearhim，onemighthavethoughtthatlettersfromJohnwereeverydayoccurrences。

DEARFATHER：TwicebeforeIhavewritten[rantheletter]，andreceivednoanswer。ButI’mgoingtomakeonemoreeffortforforgiveness。MayInotcometoyouthisChristmas？Ihavealittleboyofmyownnow，andmyheartachesforyou。IknowhowIshouldfeel，shouldhe，inyearstocome，doasIdid。

I’llnotdeceiveyou——Ihavenotgivenupmyart。Youtoldmeoncetochoosebetweenyouandit——andIchose，Isuppose；atleast，Iranaway。Yetinthefaceofallthat，Iaskyouagain，mayInotcometoyouatChristmas？Iwantyou，father，andI

wantmother。AndIwantyoutoseemyboy。

"Well？"saidSimeonHolly，tryingtospeakwithasteadycoldnessthatwouldnotshowhowdeeplymovedhewas。"Well，Ellen？"

"Yes，Simeon，yes！"chokedhiswife，aworldofmother-loveandlonginginherpleadingeyesandvoice。"Yes——you’llletitbe——’Yes’！"

"UncleSimeon，AuntEllen，"calledDavid，clatteringdownthestairsfromhisroom，"I’vefoundsuchabeautifulsonginmyviolin，andI’mgoingtoplayitoverandoversoastobesureandrememberitforfather——foritisabeautifulworld，UncleSimeon，isn’tit？Now，listen！"

AndSimeonHollylistened——butitwasnottheviolinthatheheard。Itwasthevoiceofalittlecurly-headedboyoutofthepast。

WhenDavidstoppedplayingsometimelater，onlythewomansatwatchinghim——themanwasoverathisdesk，peninhand。

John，John’swife，andJohn’sboycamethedaybeforeChristmas，andgreatwastheexcitementintheHollyfarmhouse。Johnwasfoundtobebig，strong，andbronzedwiththeoutdoorlifeofmanyasketchingtrip——asontobeproudof，andtobeleaneduponinone’soldage。Mrs。John，accordingtoPerryLarson，was"theslickestlittlewomangoin’。"AccordingtoJohn’smother，shewasanalmostunbelievableincarnationofalong-dreamed-of，long-despaired-ofdaughter——sweet，lovable，andcharminglybeautiful。LittleJohn——littleJohnwashimself；andhecouldnothavebeenmorehadhebeenanangel-cherubstraightfromheaven——which，infact，hewas，inhisdotinggrandparents’eyes。

JohnHollyhadbeenathisoldhomelessthanfourhourswhenhechanceduponDavid’sviolin。Hewaswithhisfatherandmotheratthetime。Therewasnooneelseintheroom。Withasidelongglanceathisparents，hepickeduptheinstrument——JohnHollyhadnotforgottenhisownyouth。Hisviolin-playingintheolddayshadnotbeenwelcome，heremembered。

"Afiddle！Whoplays？"heasked。

"David。"

"Oh，theboy。Yousayyou——tookhimin？Bytheway，whatanoddlittleshaverheis！NeverdidIseeaBOYlikeHIM。"SimeonHolly’sheadcameupalmostaggressively。

"Davidisagoodboy——averygoodboy，indeed，John。Wethinkagreatdealofhim。"

JohnHollylaughedlightly，yethisbrowcarriedapuzzledfrown。

TwothingsJohnHollyhadnotbeenablethusfartounderstand：

anindefinablechangeinhisfather，andthepositionoftheboyDavid，inthehousehold——JohnHollywasstillrememberinghisownrepressedyouth。

"Hm-m，"hemurmured，softlypickingthestrings，thendrawingacrossthematentativebow。"I’veafiddleathomethatIplaysometimes。DoyoumindifI——tuneherup？"

Aflickerofsomethingthatwasveryneartohumorflashedfromhisfather’seyes。

"Oh，no。Weareusedtothat——now。"AndagainJohnHollyrememberedhisyouth。

"Jove！buthe’sgotthedandyinstrumenthere，"criedtheplayer，droppinghisbowafterthefirsthalf-dozensuperblyvibranttones，andcarryingtheviolintothewindow。Amomentlaterhegaveanamazedejaculationandturnedonhisfatheradumfoundedface。

"GreatScott，father！Wheredidthatboygetthisinstrument？I

KNOWsomethingofviolins，ifIcan’tplaythemmuch；andthis——！

WhereDIDhegetit？"

"Ofhisfather，Isuppose。Hehaditwhenhecamehere，anyway。"

"’Haditwhenhecame’！But，father，yousaidhewasatramp，and——oh，come，tellme，whatisthesecretbehindthis？HereI

comehomeandfindcalmlyreposingonmyfather’ssitting-roomtableaviolinthat’spriceless，forallIknow。Anyhow，Idoknowthatitsvalueisreckonedinthethousands，nothundreds：

andyetyou，withequalcalmness，tellmeit’sownedbythisboywho，it’ssafetosay，doesn’tknowhowtoplaysixteennotesonitcorrectly，tosaynothingofappreciatingthosehedoesplay；

andwho，byyourownaccount，isnothingbut——"Aswiftlyupliftedhandofwarningstayedthewordsonhislips。HeturnedtoseeDavidhimselfinthedoorway。

"Comein，David，"saidSimeonHollyquietly。"Mysonwantstohearyouplay。Idon’tthinkhehasheardyou。"AndagainthereflashedfromSimeonHolly’seyesasomethingverymuchlikehumor。

WithobvioushesitationJohnHollyrelinquishedtheviolin。Fromtheexpressiononhisfaceitwasplaintobeseenthesortoftorturehedeemedwasbeforehim。But，asifconstrainedtoaskthequestion，hedidsay：——

"Wheredidyougetthisviolin，boy？"

"Idon’tknow。We’vealwayshadit，eversinceIcouldremember——thisandtheotherone。"

"TheOTHERone！"

"Father’s。"

"Oh！"Hehesitated；then，alittleseverely，heobserved："Thisisafineinstrument，boy，——averyfineinstrument。"

"Yes，"noddedDavid，withacheerfulsmile。"Fathersaiditwas。

Ilikeit，too。ThisisanAmati，buttheotherisaStradivarius。Idon’tknowwhichIdolikebest，sometimes，onlythisismine。"

Withahalf-smotheredejaculationJohnHollyfellbacklimply。

"Thenyou——do——know？"hechallenged。

"Know——what？"

"Thevalueofthatviolininyourhands。"

Therewasnoanswer。Theboy’seyeswerequestioning。

"Theworth，Imean，——whatit’sworth。"

"Why，no——yes——thatis，it’swortheverything——tome，"answeredDavid，inapuzzledvoice。

WithanimpatientgestureJohnHollybrushedthisaside。

"Buttheotherone——whereisthat？"

"AtJoeGlaspell’s。Igaveittohimtoplayon，becausehehadn’tany，andhelikedtoplaysowell。"

"YouGAVEittohim——aStradivarius！"

"Iloanedittohim，"correctedDavid，inatroubledvoice。

"Beingfather’s，Icouldn’tbeartogiveitaway。ButJoe——Joehadtohavesomethingtoplayon。"

"’Somethingtoplayon’！Father，hedoesn’tmeantheRiverStreetGlaspells？"criedJohnHolly。

"Ithinkhedoes。JoeisoldPelegGlaspell’sgrandson。"JohnHollythrewupbothhishands。

"AStradivarius——tooldPeleg’sgrandson！Oh，yegods！"hemuttered。"Well，I’llbe——"Hedidnotfinishhissentence。AtanotherwordfromSimeonHolly，Davidhadbeguntoplay。

FromhisseatbythestoveSimeonHollywatchedhisson’sface——andsmiled。Hesawamazement，unbelief，anddelightstruggleforthemastery；butbeforetheplayinghadceased，hewassummonedbyPerryLarsontothekitchenonamatterofbusiness。SoitwasintothekitchenthatJohnHollyburstalittlelater，eyesandcheekaflame。

"Father，whereinHeaven’snameDIDyougetthatboy？"hedemanded。"Whotaughthimtoplaylikethat？I’vebeentryingtofindoutfromhim，butI’ddefySherlockHolmeshimselftomakeheadortailofthesortoflingohetalks，aboutmountainhomesandtheOrchestraofLife！Father，whatDOESitmean？"

ObedientlySimeonHollytoldthestorythen，morefullythanhehadtolditbefore。Hebroughtforwardtheletter，too，withitsmysterioussignature。

"Perhapsyoucanmakeitout，son，"helaughed。"Noneoftherestofuscan，thoughIhaven’tshownittoanybodynowforalongtime。Igotdiscouragedlongagoofanybody’severmakingitout。"

"Makeitout——makeitout！"criedJohnHollyexcitedly；"IshouldsayIcould！It’sanameknowntheworldover。It’sthenameofoneofthegreatestvioliniststhateverlived。"

"Buthow——what——howcameheinmybarn？"demandedSimeonHolly。

"Easilyguessed，fromtheletter，andfromwhattheworldknows，"

returnedJohn，hisvoicestillshakingwithexcitement。"Hewasalwaysaqueerchap，theysay，andfullofhisnotions。Sixoreightyearsagohiswifedied。Theysayheworshipedher，andforweeksrefusedeventotouchhisviolin。Then，verysuddenly，he，withhisfour-year-oldson，disappeared——droppedquiteoutofsight。Somepeopleguessedthereason。Iknewamanwhowaswellacquaintedwithhim，andatthetimeofthedisappearancehetoldmequitealotabouthim。Hesaidhewasn’tabitsurprisedatwhathadhappened。Thatalreadyhalfadozenrelativeswereinterferingwiththewayhewantedtobringtheboyup，andthatDavidwasinafairwaytobespoiled，eventhen，withsomuchattentionandflattery。Thefatherhaddeterminedtomakeawonderfulartistofhisson，andhewasknowntohavesaidthathebelieved——asdosomanyothers——thatthefirstdozenyearsofachild’slifearethemakingoftheman，andthatifhecouldhavetheboytohimselfthatlonghewouldrisktherest。Soitseemshecarriedouthisnotionuntilhewastakensick，andhadtoquit——poorchap！"

"Butwhydidn’thetellusplainlyinthatnotewhohewas，then？"fumedSimeonHolly，inmanifestirritation。

"Hedid，hethought，"laughedtheother。"Hesignedhisname，andhesupposedthatwassowellknownthatjusttomentionitwouldbeenough。That’swhyhekeptitsosecretwhilehewaslivingonthemountain，yousee，andthat’swhyevenDavidhimselfdidn’tknowit。Ofcourse，ifanybodyfoundoutwhohewas，thatendedhisscheme，andheknewit。Sohesupposedallhehadtodoatthelastwastosignhisnametothatnote，andeverybodywouldknowwhohewas，andDavidwouldatoncebesenttohisownpeople。（There’sanauntandsomecousins，Ibelieve。）

Youseehedidn’treckononnobody’sbeingabletoREADhisname！Besides，beingsoill，heprobablywasn’tquitesane，anyway。"

"Isee，Isee，"noddedSimeonHolly，frowningalittle。"Andofcourseifwehadmadeitout，someofusherewouldhaveknownit，probably。NowthatyoucallittomindIthinkIhavehearditmyselfindaysgoneby——thoughsuchnamesmeanlittletome。

Butdoubtlesssomebodywouldhaveknown。However，thatisallpastandgonenow。"

"Oh，yes，andnoharmdone。Hefellintogoodhands，luckily。

You’llsoonseethelastofhimnow，ofcourse。"

"Lastofhim？Oh，no，IshallkeepDavid，"saidSimeonHolly，withdecision。

"Keephim！Why，father，youforgetwhoheis！Therearefriends，relatives，anadoringpublic，andamintofmoneyawaitingthatboy。Youcan’tkeephim。Youcouldneverhavekepthimthislongifthislittletownofyourshadn’tbeenburiedinthisforgottenvalleyupamongthesehills。You’llhavethewholeworldatyourdoorstheminutetheyfindoutheishere——hillsornohills！Besides，therearehispeople；theyhavesomeclaim。"

Therewasnoanswer。Withasuddenlyold，drawnlookonhisface，theeldermanhadturnedaway。

HalfanhourlaterSimeonHollyclimbedthestairstoDavid’sroom，andasgentlyandplainlyashecouldtoldtheboyofthisgreat，goodthingthathadcometohim。

Davidwasamazed，butoverjoyed。Thathewasfoundtobethesonofafamousmanaffectedhimnotatall，onlysofarasitseemedtosethisfatherrightinothereyes——inDavid’sown，themanhadalwaysbeensupreme。Butthegoingaway——themarvelousgoingaway——filledhimwithexcitedwonder。

"Youmean，Ishallgoawayandstudy——practice——learnmoreofmyviolin？"

"Yes，David。"

"Andhearbeautifulmusicliketheorganinchurch，onlymore——bigger——better？"

"Isupposeso。"。

"Andknowpeople——dearpeople——whowillunderstandwhatIsaywhenIplay？"

SimeonHolly’sfacepaledalittle；still，heknewDavidhadnotmeanttomakeitsohard。

"Yes。"

"Why，it’smy’start’——justwhatIwasgoingtohavewiththegold-pieces，"criedDavidjoyously。Then，utteringasharpcryofconsternation，heclappedhisfingerstohislips。

"Your——what？"askedtheman。

"N——nothing，really，Mr。Holly，——UncleSimeon，——n——nothing。"

Something，eithertheboy’sagitation，orthelucklessmentionofthegold-piecessentasuddendismayedsuspicionintoSimeonHolly’seyes。

"Your’start’？——the’gold-pieces’？David，whatdoyoumean？"

Davidshookhishead。Hedidnotintendtotell。Butgently，persistently，SimeonHollyquestioneduntilthewholepiteouslittletalelaybarebeforehim：thehopes，thehouseofdreams，thesacrifice。

Davidsawthenwhatitmeanswhenastrongmanisshakenbyanemotionthathasmasteredhim；andthesightawedandfrightenedtheboy。

"Mr。Holly，isitbecauseI’m——going——thatyoucare——somuch？I

neverthought——orsupposed——you’d——CARE，"hefaltered。

Therewasnoanswer。SimeonHolly’seyeswereturnedquiteaway。

"UncleSimeon——PLEASE！I——IthinkIdon’twanttogo，anyway。

I——I’msureIdon’twanttogo——andleaveYOU！"

SimeonHollyturnedthen，andspoke。

"Go？Ofcourseyou’llgo，David。DoyouthinkI’dtieyouheretome——NOW？"hechoked。"Whatdon’tIowetoyou——home，son，happiness！Go？——ofcourseyou’llgo。IwonderifyoureallythinkI’dletyoustay！Come，we’llgodowntomotherandtellher。I

suspectshe’llwanttostartinto-nighttogetyoursocksallmendedup！"Andwithheaderectandadeterminedstep，SimeonHollyfacedthemightysacrificeinhisturn，andledthewaydownstairs……

Thefriends，therelatives，theadoringpublic，themintofmoney——theyareallDavid’snow。Butonceeachyear，mangrownthoughheis，hepicksuphisviolinandjourneystoalittlevillagefarupamongthehills。Thereinaquietkitchenheplaystoanoldmanandanoldwoman；andalwaystohimselfhesaysthatheispracticingagainstthetimewhen，hisviolinathischinandthebowdrawnacrossthestrings，heshallgotomeethisfatherinthefar-awayland，andtellhimofthebeautifulworldhehasleft。