en and Daniel Blake entered so heartily into the spirit
of the undertaking that I found my own labors greatly lessened. Thomas
cheerfully gave up his most cherished plans to carry the supplies to the
hall, and things generally went on very satisfactorily. Others, too, sent
in hampers filled with Christmas dainties; among the rest, one from Mrs.
Hill, to whom I had very fully described my undertaking. Mrs. Blake
watched the heap slowly accumulating with a very preoccupied face; at
last she spoke her mind freely:

"It seems a pity to have all these things eat up, and get no good from
'em. Now, I'd like to charge a trifle, and let every one come that wants
to."

"What would be done with the money?"

"There's plenty of ways to spend it; but if I could have a say in the
matter I'd like to give it to them poor little creatures I had for dinner
Christmas. The mother's jest heart-broke. I believe you could count their
bones; leastways all of them that's next the skin. I railly thought I
could not get them filled; but I did at last, and then they was stupid
like, they'd been short of victuals so long."

"Are their clothes as poor as their bodies?"

"Yes, indeed; and it does seem hard this cold weather for little children
to have neither flesh nor flannels over the bones."

"I am perfectly willing to make a small charge, if you can let it be
known in time for the people to be prepared."

"Oh, Dan'el and Mr. Bowen 'll see to that. Put up a notice in the mill
and post-office; everybody 'll find it out."

So it was agreed that we should make the grown up folk pay something; but
I insisted the price must not exceed twenty-five cents.

I went home to luncheon on Friday, very tired, but also very enthusiastic
over our tree. If I could secure Mr. Winthrop's consent to a plain
dinner, our entire domestic force could attend, and they were all eager
to do so. He and Mr. Bovyer were engaged in a warm discussion over some
knotty subject as they entered the dining-room, thereby compelling me to
leave my question for sometime unasked. But Mr. Bovyer presently turned
to me and said,

"Really, Miss Selwyn, you must think we have forgotten your existence."

"Oh, no, indeed; but I should like you to converse on something within
nearer range of my faculties for a little while."

"We are all attention."

I turned to Mr. Winthrop as he spoke:

"Is it really imperative that you have a regular dinner to-day? Could you
not take somethin