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Page 80
Through the blur of tears in his own eyes, the man saw the drawn
face opposite, twisted with emotion. Involuntarily his thoughts
went back to what Pollyanna had said when he had made his final
plea for her presence: "Oh, I couldn't leave Aunt Polly--now!"
It was this thought that made him ask very gently, as soon as he
could control his voice:
"I wonder if you know, Miss Harrington, how hard I tried to get
Pollyanna to come and live with me."
"With YOU!--Pollyanna!"
The man winced a little at the tone of her voice; but his own
voice was still impersonally cool when he spoke again.
"Yes. I wanted to adopt her--legally, you understand; making her
my heir, of course."
The woman in the opposite chair relaxed a little. It came to her,
suddenly, what a brilliant future it would have meant for
Pollyanna--this adoption; and she wondered if Pollyanna were old
enough and mercenary enough--to be tempted by this man's money
and position.
"I am very fond of Pollyanna," the man was continuing. "I am fond
of her both for her own sake, and for--her mother's. I stood
ready to give Pollyanna the love that had been twenty-five years
in storage."
"LOVE." Miss Polly remembered suddenly why SHE had taken this
child in the first place--and with the recollection came the
remembrance of Pollyanna's own words uttered that very morning:
"I love to be called 'dear' by folks that belong to you!" And it
was this love-hungry little girl that had been offered the
stored-up affection of twenty-five years:--and she was old enough
to be tempted by love! With a sinking heart Miss Polly realized
that. With a sinking heart, too, she realized something else: the
dreariness of her own future now without Pollyanna.
"Well?" she said. And the man, recognizing the self-control that
vibrated through the harshness of the tone, smiled sadly.
"She would not come," he answered.
"Why?"
"She would not leave you. She said you had been so good to her.
She wanted to stay with you--and she said she THOUGHT you wanted
her to stay," he finished, as he pulled himself to his feet.
He did not look toward Miss Polly. He turned his face resolutely
toward the door. But instantly he heard a swift step at his side,
and found a shaking hand thrust toward him.
"When the specialist comes, and I know anything--definite about
Pollyanna, I will let you hear from me," said a trembling voice.
"Good-by--and thank you for coming. Pollyanna will be pleased."
CHAPTER XXV. A WAITING GAME
On the day after John Pendleton's call at the Harrington
homestead, Miss Polly set herself to the task of preparing
Pollyanna for the visit of the specialist.
"Pollyanna, my dear," she began gently, "we have decided that we
want another doctor besides Dr. Warren to see you. Another one
might tell us something new to do--to help you get well faster,
you know."
A joyous light came to Pollyanna's face.
"Dr. Chilton! Oh, Aunt Polly, I'd so love to have Dr. Chilton!
I've wanted him all the time, but I was afraid you didn't, on
account of his seeing you in the sun parlor that day, you know;
so I didn't like to say anything. But I'm so glad you do want
him!"
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