faint flutter at her own heart, Matilda stood on her perch and watched.
Presently a tall young fellow, one of the oldest among the boys, took his stand by the tree with a long gilt rod in his hand. The crowd fell back a bit, and hushed its murmur and rustle. No danger of anybody seeing Matilda; not an eye turned her way. The lad with the gilt rod, who also was decorated with a favour of red and white ribbands, now lifted down from the tree one of its many packages, looked close at it, and called aloud the name written thereon. A name Matilda did not know. The crowd stirred in out place and a little figure came forward and took the package. Matilda wanted to know what it was, very much; but the little girl herself made no haste to discover. A slight private examination she gave, and with a smile and a blush clasped her little hand upon the package and looked to see what would be next. The play went on after this fashion; the presiding gilt rod was quick in its operations, as indeed it had need to be; names were called out in rapid succession; and presently the whole circle was astir, with coming and going, explanations and questions and whispers of delight, now and then a spring or a dance of exultation; and still the gilt rod went on hooking down things from the tree and signalling the owners to come and take possession.
"Mrs. Laval! – from Matilda. I suppose Mrs. Laval knows who Matilda is?" – said the master of ceremonies. A new thrill went all through the distant possessor of that name. "That's my obelisk!" she thought. "I wonder if she will like it? Yes, she knows Matilda, a little."
"Norton Laval! – from his sister. I didn't know that Norton had a sister."
"The things you don't know are always more than the things you do know, Edward Foster," said Norton coming forward to receive his watch-guard.
"'You' meaning – whom?" said gilt rod, hooking down another ribband-looped parcel. "By virtue of my office I know so many things just now, that I grow conceited, and am surprised to find myself ignorant any where. Matilda Laval! – from her mother."
With a great leap of her heart, Matilda jumped down from her ottoman and made her way as she could through the throng. The tall boy with the gilt rod presented to her a small square packet, sealed and tied. Matilda's fingers clasped upon it as she stepped back; and then for the first time that evening she found Judy at her side. Perhaps Judy would have spoken, if the next call had not been,
"Matilda Laval! – from Mrs. Bartholomew."
Flushing and trembling, Matilda stepped forward again and received a second little packet, much like the former. Then Judy herself was called; everybody by this time was getting his hands full; and still the Christmas tree blazed on as brightly as ever.
Presently Matilda got a third present; this was from David; much larger. She was very much astonished; for without opening she could guess that it was something valuable; it was hard and square and heavy. Of all there, not a child was in such private ecstasies as she. Her flushed cheeks told it; otherwise she was quite undemonstrative. Though I say wrong; for eyes and lips were abundantly expressive of tremulous joy.
"Is that my present?" said Judy, by her side again. "No, it is David's. Do you know what it is?"
"No," Matilda whispered.
"I don't either. Why don't you look?"
"I will look by and by."
"Nonsense!" said Judy; but Matilda was called off again to take what Judy had prepared for her.
"That isn't much," said that young lady, when Matilda fell back to her former place; "it's only bonbons. What has aunt Zara given you?"
"I don't know yet, Judy."
"O look. And mamma. Mamma wouldn't tell me. Those are their gifts in your hand there, aren't they? Look, and see. I can guess," said Judy peering round Matilda to see the packets.
"No, you can't," said Norton at the other side. He was fastening his guard-chain in its place. "You don't know, and she don't know. I like people who can keep cool, and not dash their heads under water the first thing."
"Stuff!" said Judy. "I want her to get her head above water; she don't see anything now, nor know anything."
"Her head's all right," said Norton composedly. "Knowledge'll come in time. I guess there's a good deal of it to come, too."
"What has David got, Norton?"
"Loads of books," said Norton. "And a rifle."
"A rifle!" screamed Judy.
"And a dressing-case. And a dressing-gown. And a riding-whip. And a watch-chain."
"And what have you got, Norton?" Matilda asked.
"Just what I wanted," said Norton, with a smile of confidence and secret good fellowship which was most pleasant to Matilda; it made her feel not quite so much alone in that crowd. "You shall see," he went on. "Hallo! you're called. Give me some of your traps to hold for you, Pink; you have not got a hand to take anything more."
So Matilda gave him her bonbons and box, if it were a box, to hold, while she went for ward again. This present was from Norton, and of itself filled her arms. Wrapped up in papers as it was, she could not know more of it than that. She came back to Norton with high-coloured cheeks and eyes very bright indeed.
"What's that?" said Judy. "What has Norton given you? it's big enough. Pshaw! I know; it's a desk."
"A desk!" exclaimed Matilda in tones of delight.
"Keep your own counsel, Judy," said Norton coolly. "You have no idea of keeping other people's."
"Norton," said Esther coming up to them, "who is the witch?"
"Can't tell, even if I know," said Norton. "I keep other people's counsel."
"But where are we to see her?"
"In her den, of course."
"Where's that?"
"You will know when the time comes."
"Then she won't come in here among us all?"
"I reckon not," said Norton. "She'll see only one at a time, I hear."
"What for?" said Esther.
"Ah, what for!" echoed Norton. "I don't know, I can tell you. And what's more, I don't know yet whose notion it is. Now, Pink, I propose we go upstairs and put these things away. Supper will be in a few minutes, and then what will you do with your hands full? Come!"
And away he and Matilda went, slipping out of the room as quietly as they could, and then running upstairs, till they found a quiet corner and breathing place in Matilda's room.
"Now, Pink, don't you want to look?" said Norton turning up the gas. He had his own curiosity too, it seems. But he did not interfere with her; he looked on, smiling and superior, while Matilda's trembling fingers pulled off the papers, from his package-first. Judy had spoken truly; it was an elegant little desk, all fitted and filled. Matilda's heart, Norton could see, was quite full with that.
"Come!" said he gayly, "let us see David's choice. I don't know what it is, David don't tell all his mind."
And he stopped, for Matilda uttered a little scream of pleasure. David's choice had been a work-box. It was of pretty fancy wood, charmingly lined and fitted up.
"Pretty well for David!" said Norton "He thinks you know what to do with a work box, and reason too. Good for him. But now, Pink, guess what this is!"
And Norton possessed himself of the little parcel which bore his mother's handwriting and held it up before Matilda.
"I can't guess."
"Try. What would you like, Pink? What would you like better than anything else? Think."
"Oh Norton!" said Matilda with changing colour, "I don't know; I am afraid to guess. It's something small; could it be a locket with her hair?"
Norton with a delighted face put his hand with the parcel close to Matilda's ear, with the other hand forbidding her to touch it. "Listen!" he said. Matilda listened, and absolutely grew pale with intensity of excitement.
"I hear something, Norton!" she said seizing the package.
"Ah, you