The tree meantime came trundling down, a wonderful spectacle, with all
its gilt balls and fir-cones nodding and dangling wildly, and its other
embellishments turning upside down. There were greetings of delight at
Casement Cottage, and Miss Hacket had kissed everybody all round before
Gillian had time to present the new-comer, and then the good lady was
shocked at her own presumption, and exclaimed--
'I beg your ladyship's pardon! Dear me! I had no notion who it was!'
'Then please kiss me again now you do know!' said Fly, holding up her
funny little face to that very lovable kind one, and they were all soon
absorbed in the difficulty of getting the tree in at the front door,
and setting it up in the room that had been prepared for it.
Dolores had hoped to confide her alarms to Constance's sympathetic ear,
but her friend, who had written and dreamt of many a magnificently
titled scion of the peerage, but had never before seen one in her own
house, had not a minute to spare for her, being far too much engrossed
in observing the habits of the animal. These certainly were peculiar,
since she insisted on a waltz round the room with the tabby cat, and
ascended a step-ladder, merrily spurning Jasper's protection, to insert
the circle of tapers on the crowning chandelier. There was nothing left
for Dolores to do but to sit by in the window-seat, philosophizing on
the remarkable effects of a handle to one's name, and feeling cruelly
neglected.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233