Uncle Jack thought the letter quite right, and did not even smile at hertelling the organist so many family items.
The days flew by as they always fly in holiday time, and it wasChristmas Eve before anybody knew it. The family festival was quiet andvery pleasant, but almost overshadowed by the grander preparations forthe next day. Carol and Elfrida, her pretty German nurse, had ransackedbooks, and introduced so many plans, and plays, and customs, andmerry-makings from Germany, and Holland, and England, and a dozen othercountries, that you would scarcely have known how or where you werekeeping Christmas. Even the dog and the cat had enjoyed theircelebration under Carol's direction. Each had a tiny table with alighted candle in the centre, and a bit of Bologna sausage placed verynear it; and everybody laughed till the tears stood in their eyes to seeVillikins and Dinah struggle to nibble the sausages, and at the sametime to evade the candle flame. Villikins barked, and sniffed, andhowled in impatience, and after many vain attempts succeeded in draggingoff the prize, though he singed his nose in doing it. Dinah, meanwhile,watched him placidly, her delicate nostrils quivering with expectation,and, after all the excitement had subsided, walked with dignity to thetable, her beautiful gray satin trail sweeping behind her, and, calmlyputting up one velvet paw, drew the sausage gently down, and walked outof the room without turning a hair, so to speak. Elfrida had scatteredhandfuls of seed over the snow in the garden, that the wild birds mighthave a comfortable breakfast next morning, and had stuffed bundles ofdry grasses in the fireplaces, so that the reindeer of Santa Claus couldrefresh themselves after their long gallops across country. This wasreally only done for fun, but it pleased Carol.
And when, after dinner, the whole family had gone to the church to seethe Christmas decorations, Carol limped out on her slender crutches, andwith Elfrida's help, placed all the family boots in a row in the upperhall. That was to keep the dear ones from quarreling all through theyear. There were Papa's stout top boots; Mamma's pretty buttoned shoesnext; then Uncle Jack's, Donald's, Paul's, and Hugh's; and at the end ofthe line her own little white worsted slippers. Last, and sweetest ofall, like the children in Austria, she put a lighted candle in herwindow to guide the dear Christ-child, lest he should stumble in thedark night as he passed up the deserted street. This done, she droppedinto bed, a rather tired, but very happy Christmas fairy.