LAURA E. RICHARDS
AUTHOR OF "CAPTAIN JANUARY," "HILDEGARDE'S NEIGHBOURS,"
"QUEEN HILDEGARDE," ETC.
Illustrated
BOSTON
DANA ESTES & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1897,
By Estes and Lauriat.
Colonial Press:
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
CONTENTS.
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | The Morning Mail | [9] |
| II. | The Christmas Drawer | [21] |
| III. | Aunt Emily | [41] |
| IV. | Greetings | [59] |
| V. | At the Exchange | [73] |
| VI. | More Greetings | [96] |
| VII. | Merry Weather Signs | [117] |
| VIII. | Christmasing | [137] |
| IX. | An Evening Hour | [162] |
| X. | Die Edle Musica | [176] |
| XI. | The Boys | [196] |
| XII. | Jimmy's Pond | [217] |
| XIII. | Merry Christmas | [238] |
| XIV. | Bellerophon | [257] |
| XV. | At Last | [279] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
| PAGE | |
| "Hildegarde danced the Virginia Reel with the Colonel" | [Frontispiece] |
| Bell's Letter | [14] |
| "Mrs. Delansing scrutinised her as she came through the long room" | [50] |
| "'Hildegarde Grahame, in the name of all that's wonderful!'" | [91] |
| "'Consider the beauty of your offspring'" | [140] |
| Die edle musica | [177] |
| On Jimmy's Pond | [223] |
| "A little figure . . . stood out clear against the dark firs" | [274] |