s the afternoon also that Doctor
mysteriously vanished from his office before four o'clock, having left
no word where he could be reached with his office-boy, Mrs. Garland; and
was still out when O'Neill called at quarter to six, to talk about his
factory law....

Next day, these novel excitements continued. For when Corinne Garland
first opened her eyes that morning, they fell at once upon an imagined
wonder out of fairyland. There it stood close to her bed's head, shining
gloriously in the early sun, looking, oh, so real.... Kern lay extremely
still, gazing wide-eyed: for well she knew the way of dreams, how you
forgot and moved a little, and then it all winked out. But after a time,
when It did not stir or dance about at all, there came to her a
desperate courage, and she stretched out a trembling little hand. And
lo, the hand encountered a solid unmistakable. And then Kern gave a
great gasping Oh, and sat up in bed; and presently, being very weak, she
began to cry, she was so happy.

It really was the prettiest Writing-Desk in the world, a desk for a
duchess's boudoir, all made of polished rosewood, and standing tall and
graceful on four curving legs. It had an astounding lid, this
Writing-Desk had; that you either locked up or let down; and when you
let it down the lid had a shining slab of plate glass all screwed on,
thus becoming the loveliest place to write on that you could well
imagine. And the inside parts of the Desk were running over with
delightful things, note-paper and envelopes, and pads and pencils, and
new white blotting-paper and--true as true, dull black, with the cutest
little silver belt--a beautiful Founting Pen. Inside also were
pigeonholes of the best quality, like in the Netiquette. And in one of
the pigeonholes there lay, sure enough, a note; not, indeed, from a
mustached count with a neyeglass, but from one who perhaps seemed not
less of the purple to the fevered little buncher.

This note was written in the best jokey vein throughout, beginning,
"Miss Corinne Garland, City--Dear Madam," and signed, "Your most obliged
and obedient servant, Writing-Desk."...

It had been the intention of Mr. V.V. to call personally at the
sick-room before breakfast, to see how Kern liked the arrival and
appearance of Writing-Desk. But Miss Masters frustrated him at the door,
saying that the child's heart was set upon conveying her thanks by
formal note, and she had worried and fretted so over being refuse