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my detestation of holidays. One couldn't even dine alone on a holiday
with any sort of comfort, I declared. On holidays one was tormented by
too much pleasure on one side, and too much misery on the other. And
then, I said, hunting for justification of my dislike of the day, 'How
many other people are, like me, made miserable by seeing the fullness of
enjoyment others possess!'

"Oh, yes, I know," sarcastically replied the bachelor to a comment of
mine; "of course, all magnanimous, generous, and noble-souled people
delight in seeing other people made happy, and are quite content to
accept this vicarious felicity. But I, you see, and this dear little
girl--"

"Dear little girl?"

"Oh, I forgot," said Bachelor Bluff, blushing a little, in spite of
a desperate effort not to do so. "I didn't tell you. Well, it was so
absurd! I kept thinking, thinking of the pale, haggard, lonely little
girl on the cold and desolate side of the window-pane, and the
over-fed, discontented, lonely old bachelor on the splendid side of
the window-pane, and I didn't get much happier thinking about it, I can
assure you. I drank glass after glass of the wine--not that I enjoyed
its flavour any more, but mechanically, as it were, and with a sort
of hope thereby to drown unpleasant reminders. I tried to attribute
my annoyance in the matter to holidays, and so denounced them more
vehemently than ever. I rose once in a while and went to the window, but
could see no one to whom the pale face could have belonged.

"At last, in no very amiable mood, I got up, put on my wrappers, and
went out; and the first thing I did was to run against a small figure
crouching in the doorway. A face looked up quickly at the rough
encounter, and I saw the pale features of the window-pane. I was very
irritated and angry, and spoke harshly; and then, all at once, I am sure
I don't know how it happened, but it flashed upon me that I, of all men,
had no right to utter a harsh word to one oppressed with so wretched a
Christmas as this poor creature was. I couldn't say another word, but
began feeling in my pocket for some money, and then I asked a question
or two, and then I don't quite know how it came about--isn't it very
warm here?" exclaimed Bachelor Bluff, rising and walking about, and
wiping the perspiration from his brow.

"Well, you see," he resumed nervously, "it was very absurd, but I did
believe the girl's story--the old story, you know, of privation and