Emily was standing in the middle of the parlor dressed in fine Persian lawn, adorned with blue ribbons.
And soon the door-bell rang, and again and again and again, until all the guests were assembled. And they each wished Emily very many happy returns of the day.
Then Emily led her guests to a large veranda all covered with roses and clematis, and there supper was served.
The tables were covered with beautiful flowers and all kinds of fruit, and turkey, chicken and tongue, hot rolls and hot biscuits, and brown bread and butter, after which came the ice cream and cake.
And such a cake!
It was made in the form of a great big shoe, and lined with silver paper. Inside the shoe there were dolls and toys for every one of the guests, and a great big doll for Emily—just like the old woman who lived in a shoe! And all the little guests said it was the nicest and funniest birthday cake they had ever seen.
And as soon as supper was over Emily led her guests to the mulberry tree which stood in the middle of the garden.
Dr. Templeton was prouder of this tree than of anything else in the garden, for he believed it to be a great-grandchild of the mulberry tree which Shakespeare planted at Stratford so long ago. And whenever there was company at Templeton Hall, Dr. Templeton always brought them out to the garden to show them the mulberry tree.
On the evening of Emily’s birthday it was hung with Chinese lanterns from the top to the bottom—in all the gay colors of the rainbow. And around this beautiful tree, Emily and her guests danced and played games by the light of the lanterns until the birthday party was over.
But just then a strange thing occurred—not strange to the elves, who knew all about it, but to Emily, her guests, and her Father and Mother.