she opened the box and saw a little pin
shaped like a spray of holly. "It's perfectly sweet. Thank you ever so
much, Roger, but why didn't you put it on the tree for me?"

"Oh, they are only having foolish presents on the tree, jokes, you know,
and all that."

"Oh, is this a real present then? I don't know as I ought to accept it.
I've never had a present from a young man before."

Roger looked a little embarrassed, but Patty's gay delight was entirely
free from any trace of self-consciousness.

"Anyway, I am going to keep it," she said, "because it's so pretty, and I
like to think that you gave it to me."

Roger looked greatly gratified and seemed to take the matter with more
seriousness than Patty did. She pinned the pretty little trinket on her
collar and thought no more about it.

Dinner was early that night, for there was much to be done in the way of
final preparations before the guests came to the Christmas party.

The Christmas pretence was intended as a surprise to those not staying in
the house, and after all had arrived, the doors of the library were
thrown open with shouts of "Merry Christmas!"

And indeed it did seem like a sudden transition back into the winter. The
Christmas tree with its gay decorations and lighted candles was a
beautiful sight, and the green-trimmed room with its spicy odours of
spruce and pine intensified the illusion.

Shouts of delight went up on all sides, and falling quickly into the
spirit of it all, the guests at once began to pretend it was really
Christmas, and greeted each other with appropriate good wishes.

Mischievous Patty had slyly tied a sprig of mistletoe to the chandelier,
and Dick Phelps by a clever manoeuvre had succeeded in getting Mrs.
Warner to stand under it. The good lady was quite unaware of their plans,
and when Mr. Phelps kissed her soundly on her plump cheek she was
decidedly surprised.

But the explanation amply justified his audacity, and Mrs. Warner
laughingly declared that she would resign her place to some of the
younger ladies.

The greatest fun came when Winthrop distributed the presents from the
tree. None of them was expensive or valuable, but most of them were
clever, merry little jokes which good-naturedly teased the recipients.

True to his word Mr. Phelps brought Abiram in, leading him by his long
chain. Patty had tied a red ribbon round his neck with a huge bow, and
had further dressed him up in a paper cap which she had taken f