t," said Muriel. "I'd rather look at a few
others first. Hand me that one bound in green. Yes, and the red one too.
Oh, don't be a nuisance! Your Christmas presents will have to wait. I'm
not going to decide in a hurry just to please you."

Poor Patty thought Muriel would never finish her purchase. She examined
book after book, till at length even her mother waxed impatient, and
declared she could stay no longer.

"It is twenty minutes past twelve now," she said, "and I have made an
appointment at half-past to meet the superintendent of the Sunday School
about the Scholars' Christmas Tree. I should not like to keep him
waiting, and I am afraid I shall be late as it is. You must choose at
once, dear, and come."

It took almost five minutes longer to secure the services of the
assistant, who in the meantime had been attending to somebody else, and
to wait while she wrapped the book in paper and fetched the change: so
when at length Muriel was able to take her parcel, Mrs. Pearson was most
anxious to start for home.

"I suppose there's no time for me to buy anything?" ventured Patty,
timidly.

"Oh no, dear!" said her aunt. "We must hurry away at once; you should
have mentioned it before. What did you want to get?"

"Some little presents for the children," said Patty. "I've brought my
purse with me."

"I am sending them a parcel to-morrow," said Mrs. Pearson, "so that will
do for you as well. You shall help me to pack it if you like. Dear me,
it's nearly half-past twelve already! How very annoying! Jackson must
drive home as quickly as he can. I shall have to apologize to Mr.
Saunders. He's always so punctual, I'm sure I shall find him in the
breakfast-room when we arrive."

Patty entered the carriage in a very dejected frame of mind. It seemed
so hard, when the money had been in her pocket all the morning, that she
should have found no opportunity of spending it. She had wished so much
to send Christmas boxes to the little ones, and though she knew her
aunt's gifts would probably be much handsomer than any she could have
afforded, she felt it was not at all the same as if they were her own.

"It's the first Christmas I've ever been away from home," she said to
herself, "and I wanted everyone to have a remembrance from me. They'll
be so disappointed, and think I've taken no trouble over them. I haven't
even any cards to send them."

In spite of her efforts she could not get over her disappointment, and
as she s