“Sure yer poor father can’t be bothered with it, and it’s a thing he ain’t handy at, mirover, no more’n meself; but the atin’ is on it, praise God, and we’ll git at it someway.”

Ten plates were heaped full of potatoes and turnips, turkey, brown gravy, and “stuffin”; and still that mammoth turkey had layers of meat upon his giant sides.  What did it matter if there were not enough plates to go around, and Tommy had to eat his supper out of the saucepan; and even if there were no cups for the boys, was not the pail with the dipper in it just behind them on the old high-chair.

When the plates had all been cleaned the second time, and the turkey began to look as if something had happened to it, Mary brought in the surprise of the evening—­it was the jelly Mrs. Evans had sent them when she let Mary come home early in the afternoon, a present from Algernon, she said, and the whipped cream that Camilla had given Jimmy when he ran over to tell her and Mrs. Francis that Pearlie had really come.  Then everyone saw the advantage of having their plates licked clean, and not having more turkey than they knew what to do with.  Danny was inarticulate with happiness.

“Lift me down, Pearlie,” he murmured sleepily as he poked down the last spoonful, “and do not jiggle me.”

When Patsey and Bugsey and Tommy and Danny had gone to bed, and Mary and Mrs. Watson were washing the dishes (Pearlie was not allowed to help, being the guest of honour), John Watson sat silently smoking his pipe, listening with delight while Pearl related her experiences of the last three months.

She was telling about the night that she had watched for the doctor.  Not a word did she tell about, her friend, the doctor’s agitation, nor what had caused it on that occasion, and she was very much relieved to find that her listeners did not seem to have heard about the circumstances of Ab Cowan’s death.

“Oh, I tell ye, Doctor Clay’s the fellow,” she said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.  “He knew what was wrong wid Arthur the minute he clapped his eyes on him—­tore open his little satchel, slapped the chloroform into his face, whisked out his knives and slashed into him as aisy as ma wud into a pair of pants for Jimmie there, and him waitin’ for them.”

“Look at that now!” her father exclaimed, pulling out the damper of the stove and spitting in the ashes.  “Yon’s a man’ll make his mark wherever he goes.”

A knock sounded on the door.  Teddy opened it and admitted Camilla and Jim Russell.

“I’ve got a letter for you Pearl,” Jim said when the greetings were over.  “When Tom brought the mail this evening this letter for you was in with the others, and Arthur brought it over to see if I would bring it in.  I didn’t really want to come, but seeing as it was for you, Pearl, I came.”

Camilla was not listening to him at all.

Pearl took the letter wonderingly.  “Read it Camilla,” she said, handing it to her friend.