"Bless his heart! He's a dear little fellow!"
How could I help saying this?
"And the others! You lost half the pleasure of the whole affair by not seeing them."
"We shall have a frolic with the rogues to-morrow morning. I can see the triumph on Will's face. I understand now what all their whisperings meant this afternoon. They were concocting this plan. I couldn't have believed it of them?"
"Children are curious bodies," said Mr. Smith.
"I thought I heard some one in the next room," I remarked, "while you were out, and became really nervous for a while. I heard the breathing of some one near me, also; but tried to argue myself into the belief that it was only imagination."
Thus we conned over the little incident, while we arranged the children's toys.
"I know who Kriss Kringle is! I know!" was the triumphant affirmation of one and another of the children, as we gathered at the breakfast table next morning.
"Do you, indeed?" said I, trying to look grave.
"Yes; it is papa."