She tried to withdraw it, but did not try very hard.

"My dear boy," she trembled, "do you know what time it is? It must be
simply ALL hours."

"What does that matter? We are not keeping anybody up." "And
there's tomorrow to be considered. Christmas Eve is always such a busy,
tiring--"

"Sufficient for the day. Let us take things as we can get them.
Besides, you will sleep all the better for it. Five minutes more or
less--"

He pulled gently but firmly at the imprisoned hand. "Well, just five
minutes--although it's really--"

She was drawn down to the bench beside him, and the man in the moon, as
he looked into their shining, happy eyes, seemed to wink knowingly.

"Oh, Debbie, isn't it a heavenly night? Oh, Debbie!" His arms went
round her, and she simply melted into them. "Oh, my love!..."

Five minutes! It ran to an hour and a half before she scudded across
the lawn to bed.

And it was Mary, the busy housekeeper, who, on her busiest day, drove
to the station to meet Guthrie Carey and the baby, and the baby's cheap
and temporary child-nurse.

Mary, though she was not Deb, was too sweet and good for words. She put