to have troubled you," and was gone like a flash.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Marian Barber!" burst forth Eva.
"The idea of telling Grace to mind her own business! You haven't been a
bit like yourself lately, and I know that it's all on account of that
Henry Hammond, the old snake."

"You will oblige me greatly, Eva, by referring more respectfully to my
friend, Mr. Hammond," said Marian with offended dignity. Then she sailed
out of the room, her train dragging half a yard behind her, while Eva
turned to the mirror with a contemptuous sniff and powdered her little
freckled nose almost savagely before following her irate roommate down
stairs.

CHAPTER XI

SANTA CLAUS VISITS THE JUDGE

The moment that dinner was over the judge was hustled into the library
by Nora and Miriam, and informed by them that they constituted a
committee of two to amuse him until eleven o'clock. He was their
prisoner and they dared him to try to escape.

Next to Grace, Nora, with her rosy cheeks and ready Irish wit was
perhaps the judge's favorite, while he had a profound admiration for
stately Miriam; so he was well satisfied with his captors, who
triumphantly conducted him to the drawing room, where Miriam played and
Nora sang Irish ballads with a delicious brogue that completely
captivated the old gentleman.

At eleven o'clock there was a great jingling of bells and into the room
dashed Santa Claus, looking as fat and jolly as a story-book Kris
Kringle.

"Merry Christmas," he cried in a high squeaky voice. "It's a little
early to wish you Merry Christmas, judge, but I've an engagement in
China at midnight so I thought I'd drop in here a trifle early, leave a
few toys for you and your little playmates and be gone. I always make it
a point to remember good little boys. So hurry up, everybody, and follow
me, for I haven't long to stay."

With these words Kris Kringle dashed through the hall followed by the
judge who, entering fully into the spirit of the affair, seized Nora and
Miriam by the hand and the three raced after their strange visitor at
full speed, catching up with him at the door of the dining room which
was closed. Here Santa Claus paused and gave three knocks on the oak
door.

"Who is there?" demanded a voice, that sounded like David Nesbit's.

"Kris Kringle and three good children."

"Enter into the realm of Christmas," answered the voice, and the door
was flung open.

The sight that greeted them