But there she stopped, feeling that it would be scarcely polite to tell him that she had begun of late years to lose faith in him.
But S.C. only chuckled more comfortably than ever and rubbed his hands again.
[Illustration: "Eh! Eh!" he said. "What! What! Who's this, Tootsicums?">[
"Ho, ho!" he said. "You know who I am, then?"
Jem hesitated a moment, wondering whether it would not be taking a liberty to mention his name without putting "Mr." before it: then she remembered what Baby had called him.
"Baby called you 'Mr. Claus,' sir," she replied; "and I have seen pictures of you."
"To be sure," said S.C. "S. Claus, Esquire, of Chimneyland. How do you like me?"
"Very much," answered Jem; "very much, indeed, sir."
"Glad of it! Glad of it! But what was it you were going to say you were not quite sure of?"
Jem blushed a little.