"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.
Now, I'm going into the library, and you shall go too, and we'll have a
game of backgammon."
He flung back his steamer rug with a determined hand.
Jasper began, "Oh, Polly!" in dismay, but she broke in, "Yes, indeed, I
do play backgammon, Mr. Selwyn, and it will be fine to have a game."
And together they helped him up and into a cosey corner of the library.
"There, now," said Polly, with a final little pat on the sofa pillows
tucked up at his back. "I believe you are as comfortable as you can be,
Mr. Selwyn."
"Indeed I am," he declared.
"And now, Jasper, do get the backgammon board," cried Polly. "There it
is over there," spying it on a further table.
Old Mr. Selwyn cast a hungry glance on it as it was brought forward,
and his sharp little eyes sparkled, as Polly threw it open.
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