“Elsie,” said her father, opening the door and putting in his head, “why are you not in bed, my daughter? you will take cold standing there half undressed.  Go to bed immediately.”

“Yes, papa, I will,” she replied submissively; and he drew back his head again and shut the door.

“’Mighty narrow ’scape dat,” remarked Chloe, laughing; “ef Massa had come jes a minute sooner, de cat been out de bag sure ’nough.”

Elsie made out her list the next day, with the help of some suggestions from her father, and by Christmas eve all the purchases had been made, and one of the closets in her bed-room was quite filled with packages of various sizes and shapes.

The little girl was all excitement, and did not want to go to bed when the hour came.

“Please, papa, let me stay up a little longer,” she pleaded coaxingly.  “I am not a bit sleepy.”

“No, my daughter; you must go at once,” he said; “early hours are of great importance in your present state of health, and you must try to put away all exciting thoughts, and go to sleep as soon as you can.  You will try to obey me in this?”

“Yes, papa; I am sure I ought to be very good when you are so kind and indulgent to me,” she replied, as she put up her face for the usual good-night kiss.

“God bless and keep my little one, and give her many happy returns of this Christmas eve,” said Mr. Dinsmore, folding her to his heart.

Elsie had intended to stay awake until her father should be in bed and asleep, and then to steal softly into his room and take away the slippers he usually wore, replacing them with the new ones which she had worked.  But now she engaged Chloe to do this for her, and in obedience to his directions endeavored to put away all exciting thoughts and go to sleep, in which she succeeded much sooner than she could have believed possible.

She was up and dressed, and saying “Merry Christmas!” at her papa’s door, quite early the next morning.

“Come in,” said he, “and tell me what fairy has been here, changing my old slippers to new ones.”

“No fairy at all, papa; but just dear old mammy,” she cried, springing into his arms with a merry, ringing laugh.

“Ah, but I know very well it wasn’t Aunt Chloe’s fingers that worked them,” he said, kissing her first on one cheek, then on the other.  “I wish you a very merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year, my darling.  Thank you for your gift; I like it very much, indeed; and now see what papa has for you.”

And opening a pretty little box that stood on his dressing-table, he took from it a beautiful pearl necklace and bracelets, and clasped them round her neck and arms.

“Oh, how beautiful! dear papa, thank you very much,” she exclaimed, delighted.

“Your Aunt Adelaide thought you didn’t care much for ornaments,” he remarked, looking much pleased.

“I do when you give them to me, papa,” she answered, raising her eyes to his face with one of her sweet, loving smiles.