“Is Uncle Dave coming?” asked Meg.
“Yes, dear, he and Aunt Miranda are coming to spend Christmas with us,” replied Mother Blossom. “The letter came this morning. They will get here—let me see, when did uncle write they would get here?”
Mother Blossom opened the letter Bobby brought her and ran over the faint, small handwriting hastily. Uncle Dave was her own uncle, and great-uncle to the four little Blossoms. He was an old man and it was not easy for him to write a letter.
“Uncle Dave writes they will be here Monday, that is the day before Christmas,” said Mother Blossom. “I am so glad they can come; they have never seen Dot and Twaddles, you know.”
“Well, Mother, may Bobby and I go shopping without coming home from school this afternoon?” asked Meg. “We have to get two things apiece, that’s four altogether.”
“Let us go, Mother?” begged Dot. “We can go and meet Meg and Bobby after school.”
“I think Meg and Bobby should have this afternoon alone to buy the presents for the school Christmas tree,” said Mother Blossom firmly. “Then, Saturday morning, you may all go shopping together. How will that be?”
This seemed to suit everyone, and Mother Blossom gave Bobby an extra kiss as he and Meg hurried back to school. Bobby did not have much to say about school nowadays, and Mother Blossom was sorry he did not feel happier.
“Mother gave me forty cents,” said Meg as they walked along. “We mustn’t buy anything that costs more than ten cents, Miss Wright said.”
“Who do we give ’em to?” asked Bobby curiously.