presents?"

"All the other girls."

When the aunts got very much in earnest about anything they spoke with
such vehement unison that it had the effect of a duet; it was difficult
to tell which was uppermost. "Well, the other girls can have lots of
presents; if their folks want to get presents for 'em they can," said
they. "There's one thing about it, you won't get anything, and you
needn't expect anything. I never approved of this giving presents
Christmas, anyway. It's an awful tax an' a foolish piece of business."

Young Lucretia's lips quivered so she could hardly speak. "They'll think
it's--so--funny if--I don't have--anything," she said.

"Let 'em think it's funny if they want to. You take your candle an' go
to bed, an' don't say any more about it. Mind you hold that candle
straight."

Young Lucretia tried to hold the candle straight as she went up-stairs,
but it was hard work, her eyes were so misty with tears. Her little face
was all puckered up with her silent crying as she trudged wearily up the
stairs. It was a long time before she got to sleep that night. She cried
first, then she meditated. Young Lucretia was too small and innocent to
be artful, but she had a keen imagination, and was fertile of resources
in emergencies. In the midst of her grief and disappointment she
devolved a plan for keeping up the family honor, hers and her aunts',
before the eyes of the school.

The next day everything favored the plan. School did not keep; in the
afternoon both the aunts went to the sewing society. They had been gone
about an hour when young Lucretia trudged down the road with her arms
full of parcels. She stole so quietly and softly into the school-house,
where they were arranging the tree, that no one thought about it. She
laid the parcels on a settee with some others, and stole out and flew
home.

The festivities at the school-house began at seven o'clock. There were
to be some exercises, some recitations and singing, then the
distribution of the presents. Directly after tea young Lucretia went up
to her own little chamber to get ready. She came down in a surprisingly
short time all dressed.

"Are you all ready?" said Aunt Lucretia.

"Yes, ma'am," replied young Lucretia. She had her hand on the
door-latch.

"I don't believe you are half dressed," said Aunt Maria. "Did you get
your bow on straight?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I think she'd better take her things off, an' let us be sure," said
Aunt Lucretia.