“On my account?”

“Why, yes.  You and he are engaged to be married and of course you like to have him here.”

Imogene burst out laughing.  “Don’t you worry about that, Miss Emily,” she said.  “I shan’t, and I don’t think Kenelm will, either.”

Breakfast was ready at last and they were just sitting down to the table—­it had been decided not to call Jedediah or Mr. Cobb—­when Georgie appeared.  The boy had crept downstairs, his small head filled with forebodings; but the sight of the knobby stocking and the heap of presents sent his fears flying and he burst into the room with a shriek of joy.  One by one the packages were unwrapped and, with each unwrapping, the youngster’s excitement rose.

“Gee!” he cried, as he sat in the middle of the heap of toys and brown paper and looked about him.  “Gee!  They’re all here; everything I wanted—­but that air-gun.  I don’t care, though.  Maybe I’ll get that next Christmas.  Or maybe Cap’n Bangs’ll give it to me, anyhow.  He gives me most anything, if I tease for it.”

Thankful shook her head.  “You see, Georgie,” she said, “it pays to be a good boy.  If Santa had caught you hidin’ under that sofa and watchin’ for him last night you might not have got any of these nice things.”

Georgie did not answer immediately.  When he did it was in a rather doubtful tone.

“There ain’t any soot on ’em, anyhow,” he observed.  “And they ain’t wet, either.”

Imogene clapped her hand to her mouth and hurried from the room.  “You can’t fool that kid much,” she whispered to Emily afterward.  “He’s the smartest kid ever I saw.  I’ll keep out of his way for a while; I don’t want to have to answer his questions.”

There were other presents besides those given to Georgie; presents for Emily from Thankful, and for Thankful from Emily, and for Imogene from both.  There was nothing costly, of course, but no one cared for that.

As they were beginning breakfast Jedediah appeared.  His garments, which had been drying by the kitchen stove all night and which Imogene had deposited in a heap at his bedroom door, were wrinkled, but his face shone from the vigorous application of soap and water and, as his sister said afterward, “You could see his complexion without diggin’ for it, and that was somethin’.”

His manner was subdued and he was very, very polite and anxious to please, but his appetite was in good order.  Introduced to Imogene he expressed himself as pleased to meet her.  Georgie he greeted with some hesitation; evidently the memory of his midnight encounter with the boy embarrassed him.  But Georgie, when he learned that the shabby person whom he was told to call “Uncle Jed” was, although only an imitation Santa Claus, a genuine gold-hunter and traveler who had seen real Esquimaux and polar bears, warmed to his new relative immediately.

When the meal was over Jedediah made what was, for him, an amazing suggestion.