CHAPTER XVI.
All the morning Livingstone "rushed" as he had never "rushed" in the wildest excitement of "the street." He had to find a banker and a lawyer and a policeman.

But he found them all.

He had to get presents to Sipkins and Hartly and the other clerks; but he managed to do it.
His servants, too, had caught the contagion, and more than once big wagons driven by smiling, cheery-faced men drove up to the door and unloaded their contents.

And when the evening fell and a great sleigh with six seats and four horses, and every seat packed full, drove up and emptied its shouting occupants out at Livingstone's door everything was ready.
It was Livingstone himself who met the guests at the door, and the driver, in his shaggy coat, must have been an old friend from the smiling way in which he nodded and waved his fur-gloved hands to him, as he helped Mrs.Clark out tenderly and took Kitty into his arms.
When Kitty was informed that this was Santa Claus's Partner's party, and that she was to be the hostess, she was at first a little shy, partly, perhaps, on account of the strangeness of being in such a big, fine house, and partly on account of the solemn presence of James, until the latter had relieved her in ways of which that austere person seemed to have the secret where children were concerned.

Finally she was induced to take the children over the house, and the laughter which soon came floating back from distant rooms showed that the ice was broken.
Only two rooms, the library and the dining-room, were closed, and they were not closed very long.
Just as it grew dark Kitty was told to marshal her eager forces and James with sparkling eyes rolled back the folding doors.
The children had never seen anything before in all their lives like that which greeted their eyes.