"She's high enough," said Herbert, gazing scrutinizingly at the fairy,
"but there'd better be more work and less talk if we are to get through
before the captain and his party come home."

"Herbert, when Mrs. Raymond and I have reached your venerable age you
may expect to find us as sedate and industrious as you are now,"
remarked Harold, proceeding to hang upon the tree various ornaments, as
Herbert handed them to him.

"And in Harold's case due allowance must be made for the exuberance of
spirits of a boy just let out of school," added Violet.

"And in your case, my dear madam, for what? a youthful flow of spirits
consequent upon a temporary release from the heavy responsibilities of
wifehood and motherhood?"

"Very temporary," laughed Violet; "my husband will be here again in a
few hours, and the call to attend to my babies may come at any moment."

"I daresay if the captain had consulted only his own inclination he
would be here now, overseeing this job," remarked Harold, half
interrogatively.

"Yes," replied Violet; "but he thought his duty called him to the other
places; and I think my good husband never fails to go where duty calls.
We talked it over and concluded that the best plan we could hit upon was
for me to stay at home and see to this work, while he should take his
children and assist at the decoration of the school-houses."