carpenters had done their work, and the tree stood at its full height
at the back of the room, the top stretching up into the space
arranged for it. All the chips and shavings were cleared away, and
it stood on a neat box.

But what were they to put upon the tree?

Solomon John had brought in his supply of candles; but they
proved to be very "stringy" and very few of them. It was strange
how many bayberries it took to make a few candles! The little
boys had helped him, and he had gathered as much as a bushel of
bayberries. He had put them in water, and skimmed off the wax,
according to the directions; but there was so little wax!

Solomon John had given the little boys some of the bits sawed off
from the legs of the chairs. He had suggested that they should
cover them with gilt paper, to answer for gilt apples, without
telling them what they were for.

These apples, a little blunt at the end, and the candles were all they
had for the tree!

After all her trips into town Elizabeth Eliza had forgotten to bring
anything for it.

"I thought of candies and sugar-plums," she said; "but I concluded
if we made caramels ourselves we should not need them. But,
then, we have not made caramels. The fact is, that day my head
was full of my carpet. I had bumped it pretty badly, too."