It was after drinking his cocoa, that she told him again that she had a surprise waiting for him.
They ran upstairs together, his arm round her. He was in such buoyant spirits. Then Rachel opened the study door.
For the first moment he was silent from astonishment. Then he took her face between his hands and kissed her.
"But I don't approve of the surprise at all," he said, laughing. "What about Sybil?"
"Sybil will have a room out. I would a hundred times rather that you should write your sermons in your own home and near me than that you should get a room elsewhere. Do you like it?"
"Like it? I should think so." Then his face became grave. "But where are my letters and papers?" he asked anxiously.
"Perfectly safe. I have put an elastic band round the letters and they are in exactly the same order as you left them, and so are your other papers which you will find in the long top drawer. Then I have told Polly that she is never to come into the study, but that I will see to it. So you can leave everything about, dear; or lock the room up when you are out."
Luke busy among his papers looked up with a smile.
"Are you sure you would not mind me doing that? I can't tell you what a relief it would be to me to know that nothing has been moved."
"I will dust it early in the morning before your letters come," said Rachel, "and then you will be sure that you can leave everything about and it won't be interfered with."