Just now Mrs. Margaret Parlin, their "aunt Madge," was visiting them,
and the little girls felt quite easy about Christmas, for they gave it
all up to her; and when they wanted to know how to spend their small
stock of money, or how much this or that pretty toy would cost, Prudy
always settled it by saying, "Let's go ask auntie: _she'll_ know, for
she's been through the Rithmetic."

Prudy spoke these words with awe. She thought "going through the
Rithmetic" was next thing to going round the world.

"O Auntie, I'm so glad you came," said Susy, "for I didn't see how I was
ever going to finish my Christmas presents: I go to school, you know,
and it takes me all the rest of the time to slide!"

The children were busy making wonderful things "all secret;" or they
would have been secret if Prudy hadn't told.

For one thing, she wondered very much what Susy could be doing with four
pins stuck in a spool. She watched the nimble fingers as they passed the
worsted thread over the pin-heads, making stitches as fast as Susy could
wink.

"It looks like a tiny snake all sticked through the hole in the spool,"
said Prudy, eager with curiosity. "If you ain't a-goin' to speak, I
don't know what I _shall_ do, Susy Parlin!"

When poor Susy could not pretend any longer not to hear, she answered
Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, "O, dear, I s'pose you'll tease and
tease till you find out. Won't you never say a word to anybody,
_never_?"