I am not the former , and you will never have occasion to find me the latter if you are always as truthful and straightforward as you have been today . You might easily have deceived me in this matter . That you did not do so is the best and only recommendation I require . Take those trout up to my house and leave them . That will do . Good afternoon . '' Dan somehow got his dazed self through the glass door and out of the building . The whole interview had been such a surprise to him that he was hardly sure whether or not he had dreamed it all . `` I feel as if I were some person else , '' he said to himself , as he started down the hot white road . `` But Mother was right . I 'll stick to her motto . I wonder what Sam will say to this . '' A Christmas Inspiration `` Well , I really think Santa Claus has been very good to us all , '' said Jean Lawrence , pulling the pins out of her heavy coil of fair hair and letting it ripple over her shoulders . `` So do I , '' said Nellie Preston as well as she could with a mouthful of chocolates . `` Those blessed home folks of mine seem to have divined by instinct the very things I most wanted . '' It was the dusk of Christmas Eve and they were all in Jean Lawrence 's room at No. 16 Chestnut Terrace . No. 16 was a boarding-house , and boarding-houses are not proverbially cheerful places in which to spend Christmas , but Jean 's room , at least , was a pleasant spot , and all the girls had brought their Christmas presents in to show each other . Christmas came on Sunday that year and the Saturday evening mail at Chestnut Terrace had been an exciting one . Jean had lighted the pink-globed lamp on her table and the mellow light fell over merry faces as the girls chatted about their gifts . On the table was a big white box heaped with roses that betokened a bit of Christmas extravagance on somebody 's part .
Jean 's brother had sent them to her from Montreal , and all the girls were enjoying them XXXXX common .
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