than THINKING--to bring that," she added, under her breath, as if to
herself.

"But thinking does bring things," maintained David earnestly. "There's
Joe--Joe Glaspell. His mother works out all day; and he's blind."

"Blind? Oh-h!" shuddered Miss Holbrook.

"Yes; and he has to stay all alone, except for Betty, and she is n't
there much. He THINKS ALL his things. He has to. He can't SEE anything
with his outside eyes. But he sees everything with his inside
eyes--everything that I play. Why, Lady of the Roses, he's even seen
this--all this here. I told him about it, you know, right away after
I'd found you that first day: the big trees and the long shadows across
the grass, and the roses, and the shining water, and the lovely marble
people peeping through the green leaves; and the sundial, and you so
beautiful sitting here in the middle of it all. Then I played it for
him; and he said he could see it all just as plain! And THAT was with
his inside eyes! And so, if Joe, shut up there in his dark little room,
can make his THINK bring him all that, I should think that YOU, here in
this beautiful, beautiful place, could make your think bring you
anything you wanted it to."

But Miss Holbrook sighed again and shook her head.

"Not that, David, not that," she murmured. "It would take more than
thinking to bring--that." Then, with a quick change of manner, she
cried: "Come, come, suppose we don't worry any more about MY hours.
Let's think of yours. Tell me, what have you been doing since I saw you
last? Perhaps you have been again to--to see Mr. Jack, for instance."

"I have; but I saw Jill mostly, till the last." David hesitated, then
he blurted it out: "Lady of the Roses, do you know about the gate and
the footbridge?"

Miss Holbrook looked up quickly.

"Know--what, David?"

"Know about them--that they're there?"

"Why--yes, of course; at least, I suppose you mean the footbridge that
crosses the little stream at the foot of the hill over there."

"That's the one." Again David hesitated, and again he blurted out the
burden of his thoughts. "Lady of the Roses, did you ever--cross that
bridge?"

Miss Holbrook stirred uneasily.

"Not--recently."

"But you don't MIND folks crossing it?"

"Certainly not--if they wish to."

"There! I knew 't wasn't your blame," triumphed David.

"MY blame!"

"Yes; that Mr. Jack wouldn't let Jill come across, you know. He called
her back when she'd got halfway over once." Mis