The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Feast of St. Friend, by Arnold Bennett

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Title: The Feast of St. Friend

Author: Arnold Bennett

Release Date: January 10, 2005 [eBook #14653]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

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THE FEAST OF ST. FRIEND

A Christmas Book

by

ARNOLD BENNETT

Author of _The Old Wives' Tale_, _Buried Alive_, etc., etc.

New York
George H. Doran Company

1911

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. THE FACT
II. THE REASON
III. THE SOLSTICE AND GOODWILL
IV. THE APPOSITENESS OF CHRISTMAS
V. DEFENCE OF FEASTING
VI. TO REVITALIZE THE FESTIVAL
VII. THE GIFT OF ONESELF
VIII. THE FEAST OF ST. FRIEND
IX. THE REACTION
X. ON THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR

ONE

THE FACT

Something has happened to Christmas, or to our hearts; or to both. In
order to be convinced of this it is only necessary to compare the
present with the past. In the old days of not so long ago the festival
began to excite us in November. For weeks the house rustled with
charming and thrilling secrets, and with the furtive noises of paper
parcels being wrapped and unwrapped; the house was a whispering gallery.
The tension of expectancy increased to such a point that there was a
positive danger of the cord snapping before it ought to snap. On the
Eve we went to bed with no hope of settled sleep. We knew that we should
be wakened and kept awake by the waits singing in the cold; and we were
glad to be kept awake so. On the supreme day we came downstairs hiding
delicious yawns, and cordially pretending that we had never been more
fit. The day was different from other days; it had a unique romantic
quality, tonic, curative of all ills. On that day even the tooth-ache
vanished, retiring far into the wilderness with the spiteful word, the
venomous thought, and the unlovely gesture. We sang with gusto
"Christians awake, salute the happy morn." We did salute the happy