"Oh, I"ll go, I"ll go!" exclaimed Polly, perfectly overwhelmed, and running around the big table to throw both arms around his neck.
"I knew you would, Polly my girl. There--there." Doctor Fisher patted her gently. "Now that"s right, and your mother will be so pleased. She told Madam Van Ruypen she was sure you would help the thing along. So bundle up and start--that"s right!" He set his spectacles straight and fairly beamed at her, as she ran out of the room.
"Dear me, you were so long in coming, Ben," Jasper was exclaiming from his big easy-chair. "I"ve been watching that door as a cat does a mouse for the last hour."
"Hulloa!" said Ben, advancing to the chair. "And nonsense! You"ve only just about finished your luncheon, I"ll be bound."
"Well, it seems ages ago," said Jasper, with a little laugh. "I tell you, Ben, it"s awfully dull to be kept in bed all the morning," and he made a grimace at his canopied resting-place.
"Well, you sat up so late last night; and just think of all that fun!"
said Ben.
"Oh, I know I"m an ungrateful wretch," said Jasper, bursting into a laugh. "Well, I don"t care now, as long as Doctor Fisher allows me to have you. Where are all the others, Ben?" he asked suddenly, as Ben hurried to draw up a chair.
"Oh, they are going to be with Madam Van Ruypen," said Ben, carelessly, making a great deal of unnecessary noise over getting the chair in place.
"Oh!" said Jasper.
"You know those mountain children," said Ben, feeling something else was expected.
"Yes," said Jasper, "I know. Is Polly going?"
"Oh, yes, of course," said Ben, with wide eyes. "Why, they couldn"t do without Polly, you know."
"Of course not," said Jasper, then he twisted uneasily in his big chair.
"It"s an awful nuisance to Polly," he broke out.
Ben said nothing, not thinking of anything that seemed just the right thing to say.
"And that girl--that Elvira. O dear me!" Jasper pulled himself up quickly.
"So you"ll just have to put up with this person this afternoon," said Ben.
"And I"m sure I"ll be glad to," cried Jasper, affectionately. "Oh, Ben!"
He leaned over so that both of his pillows immediately tumbled out. "And I was going to give you a regular bear hug," he said ruefully, as Ben hopped up to put them in place again.
"I"ll be willing to put it off till you get well," said Ben, laughing.
"Now, then, see that you don"t knock those out again," and he drew a long breath. "Well, what do you want to do now?"
"Oh, I tell you," said Jasper, and his dark eyes sparkled, "let us play chess. And do get the new ones that Father gave me last night at our Christmas. We"ll christen the set this afternoon."
"We shall go twisted all the year, shan"t we," said Ben, as he hurried over to the table for a box of chessmen, in the midst of the overflow of gifts, "because we had such a belated Christmas? Aren"t these just fine?" coming back with it in his hand.
"Aren"t they so?" cried Jasper, seizing the box eagerly. "And isn"t Father good to give me a new set? And such beauties!" He emptied the box on the sofa blanket across his knees, while Ben went to draw up a small table to set them on.
"Oh, not that one," cried Jasper, looking up from his delighted examination of his new treasure. "Do you suppose for an instant that I"m going to play on that old table when I have a brand-new one that Sister Marian gave me last night? Why, Ben Pepper, what are you thinking of?
No-sir-ee! Not by a long shot!"
"Excuse me, your high mightiness," said Ben, pushing back the old table and hurrying over to get the new gift. "Will that suit your Majesty?" he asked, setting it down in front of Jasper"s chair.
"Perfectly," said Jasper, setting a good handful of the chessmen on the table, and Ben, bunching the others up from the little hollow in the sofa blanket, they were soon all there in a heap.
"Now which do you choose?" asked Jasper, putting a red and a white piece in either hand, and thrusting them behind him.
"O dear me!" said Ben. "It won"t make any difference, for you"ll beat me all to death, just as usual."
"Nonsense," laughed Jasper, "you know as much about the game as I do, Ben Pepper!"
"Indeed I don"t," said Ben, stoutly contradicting. "Why, you knock the life out of me every time we play. Just think of that last score, Jasper King!"
"Oh, well, a beat doesn"t always signify who"s the cleverest," said Jasper, quickly.
"Doesn"t it?" said Ben, with a little laugh. "Well, I always thought it did."
"Well, which do you choose?" said Jasper, impatiently. "We never shall get to playing if you don"t make haste."
"Oh, the right hand," said Ben.
So the red queen was placed in Ben"s hand, and the two boys fell to work to set the pieces. And the game began.
"The same old story," said Ben, at its close. "There you go checkmating me, and I haven"t even begun to move half my men."
"Oh, well, you"ll have better luck next time," said Jasper, beginning to set his men again.
"I"m going to get a paper and pencil for the score," said Ben, hurrying over to the desk in the corner. "There now, game number one, "J" beats.
I might as well mark ditto down for game number two and all the rest."
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Jasper, who was now setting Ben"s men. "You"ll probably beat me out of sight next time."
"Probably," said Ben, sarcastically. And they fell to work again. And it was ditto, and number three also. But on game number four the luck turned, and Jasper"s men, after a long fight, were routed.
"What did I tell you?" cried Jasper, who, although he had put up as good a game as he could, was greatly pleased at Ben"s success.
"Oh, well, once," said Ben, leaning back in his chair. His round face was very red and he mopped it with his handkerchief. "I worked harder than I used to chopping wood," he said.
"Well, we won"t play any more," said Jasper, yet he looked longingly at the men he was setting.
"Oh, yes, we will; that is, when I"ve rested a minute," said Ben, getting out of his chair to walk up and down the big room and swing his arms. "You set my men, and I"ll be ready then."
"Oh, walk away and swing all you want to," said Jasper, "I"ll set your men. Oh, I say, Ben!"
"What?" answered Ben, from the other end of the room.
"Wouldn"t it be good fun to go up to the mountains, where those poor children came from, next summer?" said Jasper. "That minister says there is a capital camp up there."
"Wouldn"t it!" cried Ben, flying around. Then he came up to Jasper"s chair, "And he"s an awfully good sort of man," he declared, bringing his hand down on the chess-table so that all the red and white men danced.