“‘Wishing-House! Wishing-House! Where are you?’
“And this old parchment deed will answer answer—
“‘Here I am, Master; here I am!’
“Ah, we are only children, after all, playing out our plays. I have had many toys, but O John, John! The ones I treasure most are all in the Never-Never Land!”
CHAPTER VI
A VALIANT OF VIRGINIA
For a long time John Valiant sat motionless, the opened letter in his hand, staring at nothing. He had the sensation, spiritually, of a traveler awakened with a rude shock amid wholly unfamiliar surroundings. He had passed through so many conflicting states of emotion that afternoon and evening that he felt numb.