his world, but other seed fell into good ground
and brought forth abundantly, "some thirty, some sixty, and some an
hundred-fold."

CHAPTER VII

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

THE Christmas holidays brought a much-needed rest.

"No parties these holidays," said Aunt Nell firmly, as she ushered
Judith into a pretty sunshiny room; "bed at nine o'clock, breakfast at
nine o'clock, and any amount of skating and tobogganing in between. I
promised your mother that you should have a very quiet time."

But a very quiet time was not just the holiday that Judith had planned
to have, and after a long night's sleep and a peaceful day devoted to
letter-writing she was lively as a cricket and ready for anything.

Christmas shopping absorbed the first two days: Aunt Nell found it
tiring, but to Judith the shops all glittering with Yuletide gaiety were
wholly fascinating. There were toys to be bought for six-year-old Doris
and little Bobbie and Baby Hugh, and something very nice for Nancy.
Nothing seemed good enough for Nancy, but at last she found a little
string of white coral faintly touched with rose which she was certain
would look "just perfectly lovely" with Nancy's roseleaf complexion,
and, after much anxious calculating as to what money would be left for
pocket money during the holidays, the corals were finally bought and
sent off to Quebec.

Up to the day before Christmas the weather had been very uncertain, and
Judith, who had bought Bobbie a new sled was afraid that she would have
to pull him on bare sidewalks, and that the stories of Santa Claus and
his reindeer would fall rather flat if there were no snow on the ground
to add a touch of reality to the tale.

But on Christmas Eve to every one's joy the snow fell softly but
steadily all day, and next morning the sky was so blue, the sun so
bright, and the ground so dazzling white in its snowy covering, that
Judith running out to the verandah fairly danced with joy.

"Do come out and see!" she cried to Aunt Nell; "it's exactly like a
Christmas-card Christmas if only a little English robin would hop into
the picture."

Stockings had already been emptied and their contents exclaimed over,
and no wonder Judith was happy. Perhaps Santa Claus had an especially
soft corner in his heart for schoolgirls whose mothers were far away at
Christmas-time. Judith had never had such enchanting presents--a string
of beautiful amber beads from Daddy; the daintiest of shell-pink crepe