Bridgie and the boys had found it impossible to spend Christmas at Knock, and although Joan had not confessed as much in words, the slackness of her preparations showed that she had lost all zest in the season. She had had a dull time of it since the birth of the boy, and it was only natural that she should long for her own people, especially those two dear sisters whose names were so constantly on her lips. If it were only possible to indulge her--to hit upon some plan by which Christmas could be made all she could desire! Geoffrey knitted his brows in thought, then suddenly came the inspiration, and with it an exclamation of satisfaction which brought Esmeralda's eyes upon him. She smiled softly, and held up her face to receive his kiss--such a different face from the one which he had seen two hours before, with its curling lips and flushed, contemptuous smile! In its sweetness and subdued tenderness it was a type of the youthful Madonna, and Geoffrey's own expression softened in sympathy. "Well, my dearie! Nursing your boy?" Esmeralda turned back the shawl once more and held up the child for his father's inspection. "There! Isn't he splendid? Nurse is quite excited about him this afternoon. She says it is wonderful how he gets on. He has been so `pert,' as she calls it, that she hardly knew how to manage him." "H'm!" The young father regarded the little face with amused, speculative eyes. "`Pert' does not commend itself to me as precisely the best word which could be found. Solemn little beggar, I call him! He seems quite oppressed by the wickedness of the world. I say, that's rather a peculiar mouth, isn't it? Something funny about the upper lip!" "It's exactly like yours--the image of it!" said Esmeralda firmly. "You can't judge because naturally you can't see yourself. But it really is. Look at that old picture when you were two years old." Geoffrey stroked his moustache to one side, and regarded himself critically in the mirror. "Oh, well, there's hope for him yet!" he pronounced complacently. "I suppose babies are all ugly in the beginning, but considering his parentage he ought to come out all right by and by. How long do you suppose it will be before he gets his hair, and begins to be intelligible?" "He has hair now, and he is beginning to speak. He said `Coo-oo!' this afternoon quite distinctly. It's horrid of you, Geoff, to call him ugly! Everyone says he is a beautiful boy and the image of you!" "Much more chance of being beautiful if he were like you, darling! Spoke, did he? Well, I take your word for it, but it's rather a stretch of imagination. He is a jolly little chap, anyway, and I'm very proud of him. Here is nurse coming to take possession. Hand him over and come along with me. I have something to tell you."