hing useful."

"Let's go and look at the shops," cried Bella delightedly. "Oh, won't it
be fine when they see the things on the tree! We won't let them know
anything about it till then, will we?"

They went down the street, and up, and down again, looking in at every
shop window most intently, but quite unable to decide on what to lay out
their money. They wanted two things that must be cheap, and must be
useful, and must suit their father and aunt.

At last Tom grew impatient. "Look here, we've got to make up our minds
and settle on something, for it's time we were getting home."

They were standing outside a drapery store at that moment--the kind of
store where they sell not only drapery, but all kinds of things--and
almost as Tom spoke the shop and window burst into a blaze of light.
Being Christmas Eve, they were going to spare no expense in making the
place look attractive.

Tom and Bella drew near for another look, and almost at the same moment
their eyes fell on the very thing they wanted, a pair of soft warm felt
slippers. "Those will do for father, they'll be splendid!" they exclaimed
in one breath; and the next moment Bella was in the shop, so afraid was
she that some one else would be before her in securing them.

Having made sure of them, she was able to look about her, and, hanging
over the counter, she caught sight of some little grey woollen turnovers.
"One of those will be just the thing for Aunt Emma," she whispered to Tom,
"to put over her shoulders when she goes down to the fowls."

So a shawl was purchased, too, and, almost too excited and pleased to know
what they were about, the children hurried off for Rocket and the cart,
and started for home.

CHAPTER X.

CHRISTMAS.

With the thought of the warm stable awaiting him at the other end of his
journey, little Rocket stepped out so briskly that they were home in good
time after all. Bella's thoughts and Tom's were far more perplexing ones,
for they had to decide how they were to get their mysterious parcels out
of the cart and out of sight without any one seeing them.

"I can get them out of the cart easy enough," said Tom, "but to get them
into the house is another matter. Would it do to leave them in the shed
all night?"

"It'll have to, it's my belief," said Bella perplexedly. "I think it's
the best we can do, and then I'll try to go down for them and hide them
upstairs before Margery wakes in the morning."

So she put