“Yes, it is a present, I know,” said Roger, and in the laugh at this sally the subject was dropped, but Roger secretly vowed to look up the subject of crystals and find out why Patty was so pleased with a marble.
“Elise is simply snowed under,” said Kenneth, as they heard rapturous exclamations from the other side of the room, where Elise was examining her gifts.
“Think of it!” cried Patty; “she had everything a girl could possibly want yesterday, and now to-day she has a few bushels more!”
It was literally true. Getting free, somehow, of her own impedimenta, Patty ran over to see Elise’s things.
“You look like a fancy bazaar gone to smash,” she declared, as she saw Elise in the midst of her Christmas portion.
“I feel like an International Exhibition,” returned Elise. “I’ve gifts from all parts of the known world!”
“And unknown!” said Kenneth, picking up various gimcracks of whose name or use he had no idea.
“But this is what I like best,” she went on, smiling at Kenneth, as she held up the dainty little card-case he had given her. “I shall use this only when calling on my dearest friends.”
“Good for you!” he returned. “Glad you like it. And as I know you’ve lots of dearest friends, I’ll promise, when it’s worn out, to give you another.”
Elise looked a trifle disappointed at this offhand response to her more earnest speech, but she only smiled gaily, and turned the subject.