did. Now you march yourself upstairs and change your
clothes."

"Aw, now, Hannah. These clothes are good enough."

"Good enough! For Christmas Day! I should think you'd be ashamed. Oh,
you make me so provoked! If folks knew what I know about you--"

Kenelm interrupted, a most unusual thing for him.

"S'posin' they knew what I know about you," he observed.

"What? What do you mean by that? What have I done to be ashamed of?"

"I don't know. I don't know what you did. I don't even know where you
went. But when a person crawls down a ladder in the middle of the night
and goes off somewhere with--with somebody else and don't get home until
'most mornin', then--well, then I cal'late folks might be interested if
they knew, that's all."

Hannah's face was a picture, a picture to be studied. For the first time
in her life she was at a loss for words.

"I ain't askin' no questions," went on Kenelm calmly. "I ain't told
nobody and I shan't unless--unless somebody keeps naggin' and makes me
mad. But I shan't change my clothes this day; and I shan't do nothin'
else unless I feel like it, either."

His sister stared at him blankly for a moment. Then she fled from the
room. Kenelm took his pipe from his pocket, filled and lighted it, and
smoked, smiling between puffs at the ceiling. The future looked serene
and rosy--to Kenelm.

Christmas dinner at the High Cliff House was a joyful affair,
notwithstanding that the promise of fair weather had come to naught and
it was raining once more. John stayed for that dinner, so did Captain
Obed. The former and Miss Emily said very little and their appetites
were not robust, but they appeared to be very happy indeed. Georgie
certainly was happy and Jedediah's appetite was all that might have been
expected of an appetite fed upon the cheapest of cheap food for days and
compelled to go without any food for others. Thankful was happy, too, or
pretended to be, and Captain Obed laughed and joked with everyone. Yet
he seemed to have something on his mind, and his happiness was not as
complete as it might have been.

Everyone helped Imogene wash the dishes; then John and Emily left the
kitchen bound upon some mysterious errand. Captain Obed and Georgie
donned what the captain called "dirty weather rigs" and went out to
give George Washington and Patrick Henry and the poultry their Christmas
dinner.

The storm had flooded the low land behind the barn. The hen yard was in
the center of