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Page 15
"I will be quiet, Celeste," answered the little girl, her lip quivering
at the injunction.
It was so hard to be repressed all the time but especially on Christmas
Day of all others.
"Zen I will help you to dress immediatement, and zen Villiam, he vill
call us to see ze tree."
Never had the captious little girl been more docile, more obedient.
Dressing Ethel that morning was a pleasure to Celeste. Scarcely had she
completed the task and put on her own clothing when there was a tap on
the door.
"Vat is it?"
"Mornin', Miss Celeste," spoke a heavy voice outside, a voice subdued to
a decorous softness of tone, "if you an' Miss Ethel are ready, the tree
is lit, an'--"
"Ve air ready, Monsieur Villiam," answered Celeste, throwing open the
door dramatically.
Ethel opened her mouth to welcome the butler--for if that solemn and
portentous individual ever unbent it was to Miss Ethel, whom in his
heart of hearts he adored--but he placed a warning finger to his lip
and whispered in an awestruck voice:
"The master, your father, came in late last night, Miss, an' he said
there must be no noise or racket this morning."
Ethel nodded sadly, her eyes filling at her disappointment; William then
marched down the hall with a stately magnificence peculiar to butlers,
and opened the door into the playroom. He flung it wide and stood to one
side like a grenadier, as Celeste and Ethel entered. There was a
gorgeous tree, beautifully trimmed. William had bought the tree and
Celeste's French taste had adorned it. It was a sight to delight any
child's eyes and the things strewn around it on the floor were even more
attractive. Everything that money could buy, that Celeste and William
could think of was there. Ethel's mother had given her maid carte
blanche to buy the child whatever she liked, and Ethel's father had
done the same with William. The two had pooled their issue and the
result was a toyshop dream. Ethel looked at the things in silence.
"How do you like it, Miss?" asked William at last rather anxiously.
"Mademoiselle is not pleased?" questioned the French woman.
"It--it--is lovely," faltered the little girl.
"We haf selected zem ourselves."
"Yes, Miss."
"Didn't mamma--buy anything--or papa--or Santa?"
"Zey tell us to get vatever you vould like and nevair mind ze money."
"It was so good of you, I am sure," said Ethel struggling valiantly
against disappointment almost too great to bear. "Everything is
beautiful but--I--wish mamma or papa had--I wish they were here--I'd
like them to wish me a Merry Christmas."
The little lip trembled but the upper teeth came down on it firmly. The
child had courage. William looked at Celeste and Celeste shrugged her
shoulders, both knowing what was lacking.
"I am sure, Miss, that they do wish you a Merry Christmas, an'"--the
butler began bravely, but the situation was too much for him. "There
goes the master's bell," he said quickly and turned and stalked out of
the room gravely, although no bell had summoned him.
"You may go, Celeste," said Ethel with a dignity not unlike her mother's
manner.
[Illustration: "I am sure, Miss, that they do wish you a Merry
Christmas."]
The maid shrugged her shoulders again, left the room and closed the
door. Everything was lovely, everything was there except that personal
touch which means so much even to the littlest girl. Ethel was used
to being cared for by others than her parents but it came especially
hard on her this morning. She turned, leaving the beautiful things as
they were placed about the tree, and walked to the end window whence she
could get a view of the little house beyond the garage over the back
wall.
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