The little girl accompanied their visitor down the rickety stairs in order to pour into her ears the thanks she had at first been too astonished to utter. When she came upstairs again she found her mother and sister in quite a state of excitement.
"Oh, I am so glad!" the latter exclaimed. "Oh, what a wonderful week this has been! First came my doll, and, now, to think that you are going to a real party, Maggie, not a 'make believe' one! Mind you notice everything, so as to be able to tell me all about it!"
"That I will," Maggie agreed readily, "I only wish you were going too, Annie."
"Oh, I don't mind now I have Rose for company. I shall be able to imagine it all, and that will be nearly as good as being there," was the contented reply.
"I am very pleased too. It seems to me that we have more friends than we thought. I am sure I'm delighted that Maggie should have this pleasure," Mrs. Blundell said, with a loving glance at her little daughters, and remembering how the younger child had given up her doll to her invalid sister.
"I wish we were all going," Maggie went on, "but, never mind, I'll tell you everything about it afterwards. I wonder what we shall do? Play games, I expect."
"And there will be refreshments—all sorts of nice things!" Annie suggested.
She was not in the least a greedy child, but her capricious appetite often hankered after such luxuries as she rarely tasted.
"We will have supper now," Mrs. Blundell said, and Maggie began to busy herself preparing the evening meal.
They had not tasted meat for the day, and the knuckle of ham and scraps of chicken seemed a feast indeed. Cheered by the good food, the children grew quite merry, and chatted and laughed. The mother watched them, and thanked God for putting it into Mrs. Metherell's heart to remember them that Christmas.