--just a little one," they added, timidly, "for the children?"
Ben and Polly always called the three younger ones of the flock "the
children."

To their utter surprise, Mrs. Pepper looked mildly assenting, and
presently she said, "Well, I don't see why you can't try; 'twon't do any
harm, I'm sure."

You see Mrs. Pepper had received a letter from Jasper, which at present
she didn't feel called upon to say anything about.

"Now," said Polly, drawing a long breath, as she and Ben stole away into
a corner to "talk over" and lay plans, "what does it mean?"

"Never mind," said Ben; "as long as she's given us leave I don't care
what it is."

"I neither," said Polly, with the delicious feeling as if the whole
world were before them where to choose; "it'll be just gorgeous, Ben!"

"What's that?" asked Ben, who was not as much given to long words as
Polly, who dearly loved to be fine in language as well as other things.

"Oh, it's something Jappy said one day; and I asked him, and he says
it's fine, and lovely, and all that," answered Polly, delighted that she
knew something she could really tell Ben.

"Then why not say fine?" commented Ben, practically, with a little
upward lift of his nose.

"Oh, I'd know, I'm sure," laughed Polly. "Let's think what'll we do
for Christmas--how many weeks are there, anyway, Ben?" And she began to
count on her fingers.

"That's no way," said Ben, "I'm going to get the Almanac." So he went to
the old clock where hanging up by its side, was a "Farmer's Almanac."

"Now, we'll know," he said, coming back to their corner. So with heads
together they consulted and counted up till they found that eight weeks
and three days remained in which to get ready.

"Dear me!" said Polly. "It's most a year, isn't it, Ben?"

"'Twon't be much time for us," said Ben, who thought of the many hours
to be devoted to hard work that would run away with the time. "We'd
better begin right away, Polly."

"Well, all right," said Polly, who could scarcely keep her fingers
still, as she thought of the many things she should so love to do if she
could. "But first, Ben, what let's do?"

"Would you rather hang up their stockings?" asked Ben, as if he had
unlimited means at his disposal; "or have a tree?"

"Why," said Polly, with wide open eyes at the two magnificent ideas, "we
haven't got anything to put in the stockings when we hang 'em, Ben."

"That's just it," said Ben. "Now, wouldn't it be better to have a