Papa’s was a watch for each.  They were not new, but the girls thought them beautiful.  Katy’s had belonged to her mother.  It was large and old-fashioned, with a finely wrought case.  Clover’s, which had been her grandmother’s, was larger still.  It had a quaint ornament on the back,—­a sort of true-love knot, done in gold of different tints.  The girls were excessively pleased with these watches.  They wore them with guard-chains of black watered ribbon, and every other minute they looked to see what the time was.

Elsie had been in papa’s confidence, so her presents were watch cases, embroidered on perforated paper.  Johnnie gave Katy a case of pencils, and Clover a pen-knife with a pearl handle.  Dorry and Phil clubbed to buy a box of note-paper and envelopes, which the girls were requested to divide between them.  Miss Petingill contributed a bottle of ginger balsam, and a box of opodeldoc salve, to be used in case of possible chilblains.  Old Mary’s offering was a couple of needle-books, full of bright sharp needles.

“I wouldn’t give you scissors,” she said; “but you can’t cut love—­or, for the matter of that, any thing else—­with a needle.”

Miss Finch, the new housekeeper, arrived a few days before they started:  so Katy had time to take her over the house and explain all the different things she wanted done and not done, to secure papa’s comfort and the children’s.  Miss Finch was meek and gentle.  She seemed glad of a comfortable home.  And Katy felt that she would be kind to the boys, and not fret Debby, and drive her into marrying Alexander and going away,—­an event which Aunt Izzie had been used to predict.  Now that all was settled, she and Clover found themselves looking forward to the change with pleasure.  There was something new and interesting about it which excited their imaginations.

The last evening was a melancholy one.  Elsie had been too much absorbed in the preparations to realize her loss; but, when it came to locking the trunks, her courage gave way altogether.  She was in such a state of affliction that everybody else became afflicted too; and there is no knowing what would have happened, had not a parcel arrived by express and distracted their attention.  The parcel was from Cousin Helen, whose things, like herself, had a knack of coming at the moment when most wanted.  It contained two pretty silk umbrellas—­one brown, and one dark-green, with Katy’s initials on one handle and Clover’s on the other.  Opening these treasures, and exclaiming over them, helped the family through the evening wonderfully; and next morning there was such a bustle of getting off that nobody had time to cry.