comfortable place on the whole boat, Mr. Selwyn." Or Dr. Jones, whom
Polly thought, next to Papa Fisher, was the very nicest doctor in all
the world, would appear suddenly around the curtain, and smile approval
through his white teeth. At last on the fifth day out, the old man was
helped up to sun himself in his steamer chair on deck. And then he had
a perfect coterie around him, oh-ing and ah-ing over his illness, and
expressing sympathy in every shape, for since Mr. King and his party
took him up, it was quite the thing for all the other passengers to
follow suit.

When a few hours of this sort of thing had been going on, the old man
called abruptly to Polly Pepper, who had left him, seeing he had such
good company about him, and had now skipped up with Jasper to toss him
a merry word, or to see if his steamer rug was all tucked in snugly
around him.

"See here, Polly Pepper, do you play chess?"

"What, sir?" Polly thought she had not heard correctly.

"Do you play chess, I say?" demanded old Mr. Selwyn, bringing his sharp
little eyes to bear on her.

"No, sir, that is--only a little," stammered Polly.

"Well, that will do for a start," the old gentleman nodded in
satisfaction. "And I'll give you some points later on about the game.
Well, and you play backgammon, of course." He didn't wait for her to
answer, but finished, "These people here drive me almost crazy, asking
me how I feel, and what was the matter with me, and all that rubbish.