He went out and closed the door. Then he
opened it and stuck his head in.
"You be good," he volunteered, "and when the little old U.S. gets
to mixing up with the swine over there, I'll bring you a nice fat
Hun as a present."
CHAPTER XII
Two days before Christmas Delight came out. There was an afternoon
reception at the rectory, and the plain old house blossomed with the
debutante's bouquets and baskets of flowers.
For weeks before the house had been getting ready. The rector,
looking about for his accustomed chair, had been told it was at the
upholsterer's, or had found his beloved and ragged old books
relegated to dark corners of the bookcases. There were always
stepladders on the landings, and paper-hangers waiting until a man
got out of bed in the morning. And once he put his ecclesiastical
heel in a pail of varnish, and slid down an entire staircase, to
the great imperilment of his kindly old soul.
But he had consented without demur to the coming-out party, and he
had taken, during all the morning of the great day, a most mundane
interest in the boxes of flowers that came in every few minutes.
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