Her brain resembled a kaleidoscope as she hurried along at her mother's hand.

Every thought seemed to whirl the disk, and new and more dazzling combinations appeared, but the principle which underlay the whole was that of the mystery of festivity and joy upon the face of the earth, of which this Christmas wealth was the key.
The Brewsters had scarcely reached the factory neighborhood when there was a swift bound ahead of them and the familiar whoop.
"There's that boy again," said Mrs.Zelotes.
She made various remonstrances, and even Andrew, when the boy had passed his own home in his persistent dogging of them, called out to him, as did Fanny, but he was too far ahead to hear.

The boy followed them quite to their gate, proceeding with wild spurts and dashes from shadow to shadow, and at last reappeared from behind one of the evergreen trees in the west yard, springing out of its long shadow with strange effect.

He darted close to Ellen as she passed in the gate, crammed something into her hand, and was gone.

Andrew could not catch him, though he ran after him.