a big stocking."

"And I know what I want," said the boy. "Nurse says Kris has no money
this Christmas. I don't care." But the great blue eyes filled as he
spoke.

The mother rose. "There will be no presents this year, Hugh.
Only--only more love from me, from one another; and you must be brave
and help me, because you know this is not the worst of it. We are to
go away next week, and must live in the town. You see, dears, it can't
be helped."

"Yes," said Hugh, thoughtfully, "it can't be helped, Alice."

"I don't want to go," said the girl.

"Hush," said Hugh.

"And I do want a doll."

"I told you to be quiet, Alice," returned the mother, a rising note of
anger in her voice. In fact, she was close upon a burst of tears, but
the emotions are all near of kin and linked in mystery of
relationship. Pity and love for the moment became unreasoning wrath.
"You are disobedient," she continued.

"O mamma! we are vewy sorry," said the lad, who had been the less
offending culprit.

"Well, well. No matter. It is bed-time, children. Now to bed, and no
more nonsense. I can't have it, I can't bear it."

The children rose submissively, and, kissing her, were just leaving
the room, when she said: "Oh! but we must not lose our manners. You
forget."

The girl, pausing near the doorway, dropped a courtesy.

"That wasn't very well done, Alice. Ah! that was better."

The little fellow made a bow quite worthy of the days of minuet and
hoop, and then, running back, kissed the tall mother with a certain
passionate tenderness, saying, softly, "Now, don't you cry when we are
gone, dear, dear mamma," and then, in a whisper, "I will pway God not
to let you cwy," and so fled away, leaving her still perilously close
to tears. Very soon, up-stairs, the old nurse, troubled by the
children's disappointment, was assuring them with eager mendacity
that Kris would be certain to make his usual visit, while down-stairs
the mother walked slowly to and fro. She had that miserable gift, an
unfailing memory of anniversaries, and now, despite herself, the long
years rolled back upon her, so that under the sad power of their
recurrent memories she seemed a helpless prey.

[Illustration: AND OPENED THE CASE OF A MINIATURE, SLOWLY AND WITH
DELIBERATE CARE.]

While the children were yet too young to recognize their loss the
great calamity of her life had come. Then by degrees the wreck of her
fortune had gone to pieces, and now at last the home o