"You must get
something for yourself too, darling."

"I don't want anything--look Fay! wouldn't Mary like a pair of those?"
Her eyes were riveted on a boxful of cotton gloves, bright yellow, black,
and white, marked fourpence three-farthings.

"She'd love a pair," said Faith with conviction. "She would like a yellow
pair to wear with her new brown frock." She wished it was as easy to find
something for all the others.

"Joan would like a ball, and mother--oh, why not get mother some oranges.
She is so fond of fruit."

Debby was gazing enraptured at a shelf of china with a view on each piece.
"Oh, Fay, I would like to give daddy a cup and saucer, may I?"

"Of course, darling, if you have money enough; he would like it ever so
much." But the cups and saucers cost eightpence, and Debby's means would
not run to that.

Tom came to her rescue, "I know, we will get it for daddy between us,
that'll be fourpence each, you shall give him the cup if you like, Deb."

"No, I shan't," said Debby decisively, "we'll give half a cup and half a
saucer each. Let me see, fourpence and fourpence three-farthings is
nearly ninepence, a penny for Joan's ball, that only leaves
twopence-farthing for mummy. Do you think she will feel hurt?" turning a
grave face to Faith.

"Hurt! of course not!"

"I know," shouted Tom, "I'll save on Mary. I'll get her two sticks of
peppermint rock, she loves it--then I'll be able to get a mug for mother,
then if you give her oranges, and father doesn't have anything but his cup
and saucer, that'll be about fair."

"I know what we'll do," said Debby, after long and deep thinking.
"We'll put our things together, shall we, Tom? and not say which is from
which."

Coming out of the shop nearly an hour later, with their arms full of
parcels, they ran almost into the arms of a tall grey-haired gentleman.
Debby gave a shout of delight. "Dr. Gray, oh, Dr. Gray," she cried
excitedly, "I've spent a whole shilling, but look what a lot of things
I've got." In her efforts to try and hug them and him too, she dropped
some of them.

"I see you have bought a ball for someone," he laughed, rescuing it from
the gutter. "Is that for me?"

"For you!" Debby chuckled hilariously at first, then her face grew
suddenly serious. She had not bought anything for this lifelong friend,
and she felt mean. "Would you like one," she asked anxiously, "'cause you
shall have it, if you would!"

"Bless the child!" cried