"I used to have presents from Mamma and Grandpapa, too, both Christmas and New Year, but now I have grown so old, Mamma only gives me something Christmas and Grandpapa only New Year. It would be too much, you know, for me to have both when my presents are so big. I don't believe a stocking will hold 'em much longer. But oh! we've got such a fine plan in our heads," said little Ellen, lowering her voice, and speaking with open eyes and great energy "we are going to make presents this year! we children won't it be fine? we are going to make what we like for anybody we choose, and let nobody know anything about it; and then New Year's morning, you know, when the things are all under the napkins, we will give ours to somebody to put where they belong, and nobody will know anything about them till they see them there. Won't it be fine? I'm so glad you are here, for I want you to tell me what I shall make."
"Who is it for?" said Ellen.
"Oh, Mamma! you know I can't make for everybody, so I think I had rather it should be for Mamma. I thought of making her a needle-book with white backs, and getting Gilbert Gillespie to paint them he can paint beautifully and having her name and something else written very nicely inside; how do you think that would do?"
"I should think it would do very nicely," said Ellen "very nicely, indeed."
"I wish Uncle George was at home, though, to write it for me he writes so beautifully; I can't do it well enough."
"I am afraid I can't either," said Ellen. "Perhaps somebody else can."
"I don't know who. Aunt Sophia scribbles and scratches, and besides, I don't want her to know anything about it. But there's another thing I don't know how to fix, and that's the edges of the leaves the leaves for the needles they must be fixed somehow."
"I can show you how to do that," said Ellen, brightening; "Mamma had a needlebook that was given to her that had the edges beautifully fixed; and I wanted to know how it was done, and she showed me. I'll show you that. It takes a good while, but that's no matter."
"Oh, thank you; how nice that is! Oh no, that's no matter. And then it will do very well, won't it? Now, if I can only catch Gilbert in a good humour he isn't my cousin he's Marianne's cousin that big boy you saw down-stairs he's so big he won't have anything to say to me, sometimes, but I guess I'll get him to do this. Don't you want to make something for somebody?"
Ellen had had one or two feverish thoughts on this subject since the beginning of the conversation, but she only said