a little, too.

"I don't know how happy other people may be," she answered; "I only
hope that they are as happy as I am."

"There! I knew it!" Miss Crilly exulted, as if she had just
disclosed a secret.

The others laughed, the thin ice of conventionality was swept away,
and at once all were merry.

"I think the new ladies wished they were coming when they heard us
talking about it," said Miss Mullaly.

"They said they were invited to spend the day with relatives,"
returned the hostess.

"Yes, but they won't have half so good a time as we shall." Miss
Crilly wagged her head expectantly. "They'll just sit around stiff
and poky--most of them look as if they would. Isn't Polly coming,
Mis' Randolph?"

"This evening."

"Won't that be lovely! She always makes things fly!"

During the forenoon the house was inspected from the quaint little
rooms under the eaves to the cold-storage apartment below ground.
Miss Crilly insisting that she wanted to see the head and the foot
of it; and no new mistress of her own home would have been human
not to be pleased with the praise that came from all lips, even
including Miss Castlevaine's and Mrs. Crump's. In fact, these two
fault-finders appeared to have been won over from their most
unpleasant habits by the changes at the Home, which went to prove
that Colonel Gresham was not wholly wrong.

"The clouds are chiming in with the rest of the world," called Miss
Mullaly from the sunshine-room, just as the sun was setting. "Come
here, every one of you, and see this sky!"

Informality was the watchword of the day, the guests having early
been given the freedom of the house, and Miss Mullaly had strayed
away from the others into the windowed room.

"My sakes!" exclaimed Miss Crilly. "Isn't that a real Christmas
celebration!"

After the first outburst, the little party watched the gorgeous
display almost in silence.

"It is too grand for words," breathed Miss Major.

Mrs. Randolph caught sight of Miss Twining's face, and it turned
her from the distant glory. She told Mrs. Albright afterwards that
she looked as if it were given her to see what was not visible to
the others--a glimpse of heaven itself.

Mrs. Bonnyman broke the spell.

"Let's go back before it fades," she suggested. And the majority
followed her into the firelit living-room.

"You missed the lovely purple tints," Miss Mullaly told them, as
the remaining quartette filed back to join the rest.

"