"I think so."
"And this is an honest town?"
"As honest as they make 'em."
"And all those girls are accustomed to being outdoors——"
"I see!" cried Mr. Black, giving Mrs. Crane's plump shoulders a sudden, friendly whack. "I almost thought of that myself. We'll certainly surprise 'em this time."
Although it was getting late, Mr. Black still hung about the house as if he had not yet freed his mind of Christmas matters.
"I suppose," said Mr. Black, breaking a long silence, "that you've thought of a few things to put on the tree for those girls?"
"Yes," admitted Mrs. Crane, guardedly, "I've gathered up some little fixings that I thought they'd fancy."
"It might be a good idea," said Mr. Black, rising to ring for Martin, "for us to compare notes. Two heads are better than one, you know; and after what they did for us, we owe those little folks a splendid Christmas."
"We certainly do," agreed Mrs. Crane, wiping away the sudden moisture that sprung to her eyes at thought of the memorable dinner party in Dandelion Cottage—the dinner that had brought her estranged brother to the rescue. "I don't know where I'd have been now if it hadn't been for those blessed children. In the poorhouse, probably."