Just David
Copyright© 2024 by Eleanor H. Porter
Chapter 23: Puzzles
David’s convalescence was picturesque, in a way. As soon as he was able, like a king he sat upon his throne and received his subjects; and a very gracious king he was, indeed. His room overflowed with flowers and fruit, and his bed quite groaned with the toys and books and games brought for his diversion, each one of which he hailed with delight, from Miss Holbrook’s sumptuously bound “Waverley Novels” to little crippled Jimmy Clark’s bag of marbles.
Only two things puzzled David: one was why everybody was so good to him; and the other was why he never could have the pleasure of both Mr. Jack’s and Miss Holbrook’s company at the same time.
David discovered this last curious circumstance concerning Mr. Jack and Miss Holbrook very early in his convalescence. It was on the second afternoon that Mr. Jack had been admitted to the sick-room. David had been hearing all the latest news of Jill and Joe, when suddenly he noticed an odd change come to his visitor’s face.
The windows of the Holly “parlor bedroom” commanded a fine view of the road, and it was toward one of these windows that Mr. Jack’s eyes were directed. David, sitting up in bed, saw then that down the road was approaching very swiftly a handsome span of black horses and an open carriage which he had come to recognize as belonging to Miss Holbrook. He watched it eagerly now till he saw the horses turn in at the Holly driveway. Then he gave a low cry of delight.
“It’s my Lady of the Roses! She’s coming to see me. Look! Oh, I’m so glad! Now you’ll see her, and just KNOW how lovely she is. Why, Mr. Jack, you aren’t going NOW!” he broke off in manifest disappointment, as Mr. Jack leaped to his feet.
“I think I’ll have to, if you don’t mind, David,” returned the man, an oddly nervous haste in his manner. “And YOU won’t mind, now that you’ll have Miss Holbrook. I want to speak to Larson. I saw him in the field out there a minute ago. And I guess I’ll slip right through this window here, too, David. I don’t want to lose him; and I can catch him quicker this way than any other,” he finished, throwing up the sash.
“Oh, but Mr. Jack, please just wait a minute,” begged David. “I wanted you to see my Lady of the Roses, and—” But Mr. Jack was already on the ground outside the low window, and the next minute, with a merry nod and smile, he had pulled the sash down after him and was hurrying away.
Almost at once, then, Miss Holbrook appeared at the bedroom door.
“Mrs. Holly said I was to walk right in, David, so here I am,” she began, in a cheery voice. “Oh, you’re looking lots better than when I saw you Monday, young man!”
“I am better,” caroled David; “and to-day I’m ‘specially better, because Mr. Jack has been here.”
“Oh, has Mr. Jack been to see you to-day?” There was an indefinable change in Miss Holbrook’s voice.
“Yes, right now. Why, he was here when you were driving into the yard.”
Miss Holbrook gave a perceptible start and looked about her a little wildly.
“Here when—But I didn’t meet him anywhere—in the hall.”
“He didn’t go through the hall,” laughed David gleefully. “He went right through that window there.”
“The window!” An angry flush mounted to Miss Holbrook’s forehead. “Indeed, did he have to resort to that to escape—” She bit her lip and stopped abruptly.
David’s eyes widened a little.
“Escape? Oh, HE wasn’t the one that was escaping. It was Perry. Mr. Jack was afraid he’d lose him. He saw him out the window there, right after he’d seen you, and he said he wanted to speak to him and he was afraid he’d get away. So he jumped right through that window there. See?”
“Oh, yes, I—see,” murmured Miss Holbrook, in a voice David thought was a little queer.
“I wanted him to stay,” frowned David uncertainly. “I wanted him to see you.”
“Dear me, David, I hope you didn’t tell him so.”
“Oh, yes, I did. But he couldn’t stay, even then. You see, he wanted to catch Perry Larson.”
“I’ve no doubt of it,” retorted Miss Holbrook, with so much emphasis that David again looked at her with a slightly disturbed frown.
“But he’ll come again soon, I’m sure, and then maybe you’ll be here, too. I do so want him to see you, Lady of the Roses!”
“Nonsense, David!” laughed Miss Holbrook a little nervously. “Mr.—Mr. Gurnsey doesn’t want to see me. He’s seen me dozens of times.”
“Oh, yes, he told me he’d seen you long ago,” nodded David gravely; “but he didn’t act as if he remembered it much.”
“Didn’t he, indeed!” laughed Miss Holbrook, again flushing a little. “Well, I’m sure, dear, we wouldn’t want to tax the poor gentleman’s memory too much, you know. Come, suppose you see what I’ve brought you,” she finished gayly.
“Oh, what is it?” cried David, as, under Miss Holbrook’s swift fingers, the wrappings fell away and disclosed a box which, upon being opened, was found to be filled with quantities of oddly shaped bits of pictured wood—a jumble of confusion.
“It’s a jig-saw puzzle, David. All these little pieces fitted together make a picture, you see. I tried last night and I could n’t do it. I brought it down to see if you could.”
“Oh, thank you! I’d love to,” rejoiced the boy. And in the fascination of the marvel of finding one fantastic bit that fitted another, David apparently forgot all about Mr. Jack—which seemed not unpleasing to his Lady of the Roses.
It was not until nearly a week later that David had his wish of seeing his Mr. Jack and his Lady of the Roses meet at his bedside. It was the day Miss Holbrook brought to him the wonderful set of handsomely bound “Waverley Novels.” He was still glorying in his new possession, in fact, when Mr. Jack appeared suddenly in the doorway.
“Hullo my boy, I just—Oh, I beg your pardon. I supposed you were—alone,” he stammered, looking very red indeed.
“He is—that is, he will be, soon—except for you, Mr. Gurnsey,” smiled Miss Holbrook, very brightly. She was already on her feet.
“No, no, I beg of you,” stammered Mr. Jack, growing still more red. “Don’t let me drive—that is, I mean, don’t go, please. I didn’t know. I had no warning—I didn’t see—Your carriage was not at the door to-day.”
Miss Holbrook’s eyebrows rose the fraction of an inch.
“I sent it home. I am planning to walk back. I have several calls to make on the way; and it’s high time I was starting. Good-bye, David.”
“But, Lady, of the Roses, please, please, don’t go,” besought David, who had been looking from one to the other in worried dismay. “Why, you’ve just come!”
But neither coaxing nor argument availed; and before David really knew just what had happened, he found himself alone with Mr. Jack.
Even then disappointment was piled on disappointment, for Mr. Jack’s visit was not the unalloyed happiness it usually was. Mr. Jack himself was almost cross at first, and then he was silent and restless, moving jerkily about the room in a way that disturbed David very much.
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