The "lovely thing" was a long slender chain for Katy's watch, worked in fine yellow gold.
Clover admired it extremely; and her joy knew no bounds when farther search revealed another box with a precisely similar chain for herself.
It was too much. The girls fairly cried with pleasure.
"There never was such a papa in the world!" they said.
"Yes, there is. Mine is just as good," declared Rose, twinkling away a little tear-drop from her own eyes.
"Now don't cry, honeys.
Your papa's an angel, there's no doubt about it.
I never saw such pretty chains in my life,—never.
As for the children, they're little ducks.
You certainly are a wonderful family.
Katy, I'm dying to know what is in the blue parcel."
The blue parcel was from Cecy, and contained a pretty blue ribbon for Clover.
There was a pink one also, with a pink ribbon for Katy.
Everybody had thought of the girls.
Old Mary sent them each a yard measure; Miss Finch, a thread-case, stocked with differently colored cottons.
Alexander had cracked a bag full of hickory nuts.
"Did you ever?" said, Rose, when this last was produced.
"What a thing it is to be popular!
Mrs. Hall?
Who's Mrs. Hall?" as Clover unwrapped a tiny carved easel.
"She's Cecy's mother," explained Clover.
"Wasn't she kind to send me this, Katy?
And here's Cecy's photograph in a little frame for you."
Never was such a wonderful box.
It appeared to have no bottom whatever.
Under the presents were parcels of figs, prunes, almonds, raisins, candy; under those, apples and pears.
There seemed no end to the surprises.
At last all were out.
"Now," said Katy, "let's throw back the apples and pears, and then I want you to help divide the other things, and make some packages for the girls.
They are all disappointed not to have their boxes.
I should like to have them share ours.
Wouldn't you, Clover?"
"Yes, indeed.
I was just going to propose it."
So Clover cut twenty-nine squares of white paper, Rose and Katy sorted and divided, and pretty soon ginger-snaps and almonds and sugar-plums were walking down all the entries, and a gladsome crunching showed that the girls had found pleasant employment.
None of the snowed-up boxes got through till Monday, so except for Katy and Clover the school would have had no Christmas treat at all.
They carried Mrs. Nipson a large slice of cake, and a basket full of the beautiful red apples.
All the teachers were remembered, and the servants. The S. S. U. C. was convened and feasted; and as for Rose, Louisa, and other special cronies, dainties were heaped upon them with such unsparing hand that they finally remonstrated.
"You're giving everything away.
You'll have none left for yourselves."
"Yes, we shall,—plenty," said Clover.
"O Rosy! here's such a splendid pear!
You must have this."
"No! no!" protested Rose; but Clover forced it into her pocket.
"The Carrs' Box" was always quoted in the Nunnery afterward, as an example of what papas and mammas could accomplish, when they were of the right sort, and really wanted to make school-girls happy.
Distributing their treasures kept Katy and Clover so busy that it was not until after dinner that they found time to open the smaller box. When they did so, they were sorry for the delay.
The box was full of flowers, roses, geranium-leaves, heliotrope, beautiful red and white carnations, all so bedded in cotton that the frost had not touched them.
But they looked chilled, and Katy hastened to put them in warm water, which she had been told was the best way to revive drooping flowers.
Cousin Helen had sent them; and underneath, sewed to the box, that they might not shake about and do mischief, were two flat parcels wrapped in tissue paper, and tied with white ribbon, in Cousin Helen's, dainty way.
They were glove-cases, of quilted silk, delicately scented, one white, and one lilac; and to each was pinned a loving note, wishing the girls a Merry Christmas.