Then she went up near the tree, sat down on the floor in front of it, clasped her little fat hands in her lap, and just stared at it. "I yike to yook at it!" she said, turning to smile at Patty, in a friendly way. "It's so booful!" she further explained. "Don't you want something off it?" asked Patty, who was now sitting on the floor beside the baby. "Zes; all of ze fings. Zey is all for me! all for baby May!" As a matter of fact, there were no gifts on the tree, only decorations and lights, but Patty took one or two little trinkets from the branches, and put them in the baby's lap. "There," she said. "How do you like those, baby May?" "Booful, booful," said the child, whose vocabulary seemed limited by reason of her excited delight. And then a jingle, as of tiny sleighbells, was heard outside. The door flew open, and in came a personage whom May recognised at once. "Santa Claus!" she cried. "Oh, Santa Claus!" And jumping up from the floor, she ran to meet him as fast as her little fat legs could carry her. "Down on the floor!" she cried, tugging at his red coat. "Baby May's Santa Claus! Sit down on floor by baby May!" Jim Kenerley, who was arrayed in the regulation garb of a St. Nicholas, sat down beside his little girl, and taking his pack from his back, placed it in front of her. "All for baby May!" she said, appreciating the situation at once. "Yes, all for baby May," returned her mother, for in the pack were only the child's presents. One by one the little hands took the gifts from their wrappings, and soon the baby herself was almost lost sight of in a helter-skelter collection of dolls and teddy bears and woolly dogs and baa lambs and more dolls. To say nothing of kittens and candies, and balls, and every sort of a toy that was nice and soft and pleasant. The doll Patty had brought, with its wonderful wardrobe, pleased the baby especially, and she declared at once that the doll's name should be Patty. Having undone all her treasures, the baby elected to have a general romp with Santa Claus, whom she well knew to be her father. Jim had made no attempt to disguise lest it should frighten the child, and so his own gay young face looked out from a voluminous snow-white wig and long white beard. His costume was the conventional red, belted coat, edged with white fur, and a fur-trimmed red cap with a bobbing tassel. Among the toys was a pair of horse lines with bells on it, and soon May had her good-natured father transformed into a riding-horse and galloping madly round the hall. Then all present must needs play games suited to the calibre of the little one, and Ring around a Rosy and London Bridge proved to be her favourites. After these unwonted exertions, everybody was ready for tea, which was then brought in. As a special dispensation, May was allowed to have her bread and milk at the same time, with the added indulgence of a few little cakes.