"Yes, can't we? can't we?" begged the others, except Matthew, who was wholly concerned in himself and his new attire.
"Everythin's out of the old box," said Mark, giving it a kick.
"Yes, everythin'," said Elvira, taking a flying leap past it, and peering in once more, "'cept an old scrap o' paper." She dived into its depths and brought up a long, thin strip, which she waved disdainfully before casting it off. At sight of which, the minister sprang and twisted it out of her hands. "Oh, the check! Well, I am thankful that's found!"
But this fell on careless ears after all. For was not the opening of the wonderful bundles at last to be allowed! And for the next half hour nothing was heard but the tearing of paper, the bursting of string, and the howls of delight from the young brood and the half-frightened, tearful ejaculations from the little mother. No one stopped in the process of unfolding the treasures, except to dig the teeth into a cracker or a bun, too hungry to wait.
"Tea, Mammy!" Mark bundled a package that spilt half its contents into his mother's lap, then rushed back for more treasures.
"Thank the Lord!" she cried, involuntarily, and hungrily gathering up each morsel.
The minister turned aside his face to look out of the window, pretending to see something very attractive in the drear winter landscape, and so the babel went on.
At last all the unfolding was done. "Now then," said the Rev. Mr. St. John, "you understand, don't you, that Matthew and Mark are to go, and one of the girls, to visit Mrs. Van Ruypen?"
"See my new dress," interrupted Matilda, prancing up with a red merino gown, resplendent in gilt buttons all down the back.
"That's mine," said Elvira, dropping the blue one, which she had selected, now that she saw how pretty the red one looked.