"Oh, no," Laura broke in impetuously. "How can they realise? How can you expect Kathleen to realise?"
"Do you know," said the Reverend Henry, "that only last Sunday my niece Kathleen was marching all over the house singing at the top of her voice, 'It's a long, long way to Tipperary: the Bible tells me so'? Obviously she realises."
"But what about——" Eileen was beginning.
"Let's have a scrap of paper," said I, "a contract that we can all sign, and then we can put down the exceptions to the rule."
Henry was already hard at work with a sheet of foolscap.
" ... not to exchange, give, receive or swap in celebration of Christmas, 1914, any gift, donation, subscription, contribution, grant, token or emblem within the family and its connections: and further not to permit any gift, donation, subscription, contribution, grant, token or emblem to emanate from any member of the family to such as are outside."
"Good so far," said I.
"The following recipients to be excepted," Henry went on,
"(1) All Hospitals; (2) Belgians; (3) His Majesty's Forces——"
"(4) The Poor and Needy," suggested Eileen.