coming home, and Christmas
coming, and the holidays; and oh, Betty, it does seem too good to be
true, but it _is_ true, and I am sure nothing could spoil it all."

But Kitty had not touched wood, and had reckoned without Aunt Pike; and
even when that lady came into their room with a paper parcel in her hand
they suspected no harm--in fact, they looked at the parcel with pleasure
and excitement for a moment, even after she had said, "Children, I have
got you some winter stockings, and you must put them on at once, the
weather has become so cold." They even agreed heartily, and Betty
plumped right down on the floor there and then, and bared one foot in
readiness by the time the parcel was opened.

And then the parcel was opened, and dismay and horror fell on them, for
the stockings were not only of an ugly pale gray, with white stripes
going round and round the legs, but they were woollen ones!--rough,
harsh, scratchy woollen ones! The colour was bad enough, but that was
as nothing compared with the awful fact of their being woolly; for two
children with more painfully sensitive skins than Katherine and
Elizabeth Trenire could not be found in the whole wide world, and for
them to wear anything in the shape of wool was a torture more dreaded
than any other.

Betty instinctively drew her pretty bare feet under her for protection,
and looked from Aunt Pike to Kitty with eyes full of horror. Kitty was
desperate.

"I am very sorry, Aunt Pike," she said, quite gently and nicely, but
very emphatically, "but we cannot wear woollen stockings. They drive us
nearly mad--"

"Nonsense," interrupted Aunt Pike, with the complete indifference of a
person not afflicted with a sensitive skin. "You will get over that in
an hour or two. If you don't think about it you won't notice anything.
Try them on at once. I want to see if they fit."

"It--it would really be better not to put them on," urged Kitty,
"for we really couldn't wear them if you bought them, aunt, and the
people won't take them back if they are creased."

"They will not be required to take them back," said Mrs. Pike firmly.
"I have bought you six pairs each"--Betty groaned--"Don't make that
noise, Elizabeth--and if they fit they will be kept. They are very fine
and quite soft; any one could wear them quite comfortably, and so can
you, unless, of course," severely, "you make up your minds not to."

Persons who are not afflicted with sensitive skins cannot, or w