he strolled around to see. He had on his working
clothes, but his face and hands had been well scrubbed after the day's
work was over. He waited until the grown-up people turned to go back
into the house, and then came forward where Peggy could see him. Alice,
followed by the other children, was going toward the house.

"Well, Peggy, was it a good surprise party?" he asked.

"It was great, and I got surprised myself! How nice of you to give
mother Angelica Seraphina Hen-Farrell! That is her name, isn't it?"

"Certainly," said Mr. Farrell. "How did you happen to know it?"

"It just popped into my head," said Peggy. "I shut up my eyes, and I
just seemed to know she was Angelica Seraphina Hen-Farrell."

"She is called 'Angel' for short," he said.

"Angel? What a nice name! I'm so glad we have seven hens. Don't you like
odd numbers best, Mr. Farrell? I think they are much more interesting."

"They say there is luck in odd numbers," he said.

"Alice likes even numbers best," said Peggy.

"Yes, she would; she's a kind of even-dispositioned young one."

"Yes, Alice is a darling," said Peggy.

"There are other darlings round here," he said.

"Yes, seven of them: Hope, Faith, and Charity Henderson; Biddy Henshaw,
Rhoda Rhodes, Angel Hen-Farrell, and my own dear Henrietta Cox. Oh,
there are eight--I forgot Mr. Henry Cox. He's the greatest darling of
them all."

CHAPTER XIV

A CHRISTMAS EGG

Carols are what one thinks of at Christmas, and eggs seem to belong to
Easter, but this was an especial egg that was very dear to Peggy because
it was one of the first. Peggy and Alice had hunted with such anxious
care, every morning in Hotel Hennery, to see if they could find any
eggs, and each morning they were disappointed; for all the hens were
moulting.

"It does seem as if they needn't all moult at the same time," said
Peggy. "I do hope somebody will begin to lay before Thanksgiving, so we
can have a Thanksgiving egg. Henrietta, don't you think you could give
me just one egg for Thanksgiving?"

Whatever Henrietta's thoughts were, she kept them to herself, and not
one hen produced an egg in time for Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Owen, with Peggy and Alice, dined with the Carters. Mrs. Carter
wrote saying what pleasure it would give them all if they could come,
and she added there would be no other guests except her husband's Aunt
Betsy and her brother Joe. She hoped it would not be too hard for Mrs.
Owen to have a Than