,
shakily marked in his initials with her own fair fingers.

The box she had sent to the Farm itself made Miss Eliza close her lips
grimly and think unutterable things about the deadly wickedness of
extravagance. She uttered some things before she had closed her lips,
quite forcibly, but as Arethusa was not present, it could not do much
good. Arethusa did not forget a single creature at the Farm. Beginning
with Miss Asenath, every living thing had a gift. Miss Johnson had a
collar of wonderfully shiny, brassy beauty; old Baldy, the horse, had a
new blanket; and there was even a catnip ball for the grey cat that
slept in front of Mandy's stove. There were so many cats at the Farm
that it was quite impossible to remember them all, but Arethusa
reasoned that they would all enjoy a catnip ball.

Never, in all of the history of the season, did any one ever have such
a Christmas Glow as this of Arethusa's. And it was extended most
lavishly to everyone she met through these days, whether she knew them
or not, old and young, rich or poor, from smiling lips and starry eyes.

"A Real Spirit of Christmas," Ross called her, "red hair and all!"

But after Christmas was over, there was no actual subsiding of
Excitement. For on New Year's Day Elinor was giving Arethusa a Party,
her First Party of her Very Own; and it was to be the most Wonderful
Party that had ever been given.

And Timothy had been invited. His was the very first invitation sent.

CHAPTER XXI

But Timothy wrote that he was sorry, but he could not come.

He thought that Arethusa's letters home had lately been almost too full
of a person by the name of Bennet, and torn between a curiosity to
observe this person for himself in the flesh, and a disinclination to
place himself in a position that should give her the opportunity to
express her preference in public, the latter won.

Arethusa stormed and raged, as was quite to be expected.

It was so stupid of him to refuse! He would spoil the whole Party if he
did not come! She almost cried with vexation as she read his letter at
the breakfast-table.

"He's just got to come, that's all! Nasty thing! And I'll just bet he
waited till right now to write so it would be too late for me to write
to him again! That would be just like him! He's had that invitation two
whole weeks! Oh, I just hate him for acting this way!"

"I shouldn't think you would be so anxious to have a person you hated
at your Party," rema