“We all agree then,” said Miss Ruth, “that Elsa shall be the one to have the little old lady’s doll. We will keep it a secret,” she added, looking from one to another of the now bright faces. “We will give the doll to her at Christmas, with a note saying it is from all of us.”
“Because she has only a grandmother,” insisted Betty, forgetting Elsa’s Uncle Ned.
Just then they heard the door-bell ring, and a moment later, to their great surprise, Elsa came running into the library, her gray eyes sparkling with delight, her hair in a golden confusion over her shoulders.
“The seamstress wasn’t quite ready and grandmother said I might come back, and she wants me to invite you all to a Christmas-tree at our house on Christmas afternoon, and she wants Alice and Ben’s mother to come—and Betty’s mother—and she says if you will all come—it will be the best Christmas in her whole life!” Elsa stopped breathlessly, her slender figure quivering with excitement and joy.
“A Christmas-tree! What fun, what fun!” cried Betty, jumping up and beginning to dance around the room.
“Hurrah!” exclaimed Ben, giving Alice an extra hug.
“May we help get it ready, Elsa?” Betty asked eagerly. In her own home preparing the Christmas-tree was one of the great events of the year.
“Yes, yes, I am sure so!” cried Elsa, who in her transport of happiness was ready to promise anything.
Then they all laughed heartily when little Alice said slowly, as if the fact had just dawned over her mind: “The Club is going to have a Christmas-tree at Elsa’s grandmother’s!”
“Bless the blue-eyed baby,” said Betty; and Ruth Warren, stooping to kiss the child’s serious upturned face, wondered if Christmas day would bring some great change into the lives of Alice and Ben.