The day before Christmas arrived; and a merry group of girls had assembled at an early hour in Miss Spencer’s pleasant school-room, to talk over their plans for the holidays.
“And now, girls, let us arrange at what hour we will call on Miss Spencer, to wish her a merry Christmas, and present our little gifts,” exclaimed Caroline Elwyn, one of the oldest of the scholars. “I propose that we should all meet at the great oak tree, at ten o’clock to-morrow morning, and then we can go together. Only you must be sure to be punctual, for the weather is rather too cold to make it very agreeable to wait for each other.”
All of the girls readily agreed to this plan, and then followed an animated discussion as to the beauty and value of their separate gifts. One had prepared a work-bag, another a needle-book, a third had worked a collar, a fourth a pin-cushion.
“And now, tell us what your present is to be, Isabel,” said Caroline Elwyn. “You are so wonderfully silent about it, that we suspect it must be something far surpassing our humble offerings. You shake your head. Well, we will not urge you. Cannot you enlighten us, Mary?”
“I can only tell you what my own gift is to be,” was the smiling reply, “I have made a pen-wiper to lie upon her desk.”
“We shall soon discover Isabel’s secret,” exclaimed another of the girls. “Only a few hours, now, before the happy time will be here. I wish it were night. Time passes so quickly when we are sleeping.”
The merry laugh which this remark occasioned had hardly subsided, when their teacher entered the room. She greeted them with her usual affectionate good morning, and pleasantly remarked that they must study with unusual diligence that day, as the holidays were so near.
The girls cheerfully took their books, and, in spite of their joyful anticipations for the coming weeks, their lessons were well learned and recited.
Toward the close of the afternoon session, Miss Spencer requested them to put away their books, as she had something to say to them before she closed the school.
When everything was arranged in an orderly manner, she told them that it had been her custom for several years to visit the poor families in the neighborhood on Christmas day, and endeavor to do what she could for their comfort. She said that she hoped that all of her scholars had thought of the poor in preparing their Christmas gifts, and had remembered that though it was very pleasant and proper to present tokens of affection to their friends, yet it was better still to relieve those who were in need.