CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 209 



melodious voice and the sounds of a banjo, both 

 the property of the musical member of the 

 district. 



At last the hour drew near for that time- 

 honoured English ceremony, — the Christmas 

 dinner. Of course the menu included the 

 sacred turkey, plum pudding, mince pies, and 

 crackers. Equally, of course, we all drank 

 each other's health, and wished each other a 

 happy Christmas. By this time the weather 

 was all that could be wished. A lovely moon 

 shone on palm and mango trees as we paced 

 the terrace, enjoying the balmy tropical night. 

 Our thoughts naturally turned to other scenes 

 in dear old England, to other Christmases 

 spent with those who loved us. A gentle 

 silence fell on the merry group. Then one of 

 the number, who had erstwhile been a chorister, 

 broke out spontaneously into the sweet old 

 carols 4< Noel," and " King Wenceslas " followed 

 also quite spontaneously by the whole company 

 singing with heart and soul " Hark, the herald 

 angels," and "Come all ye faithful." It gave 

 just the Christmas touch I wanted, and I felt as 

 if even in our little corner of the earth we were 

 permitted to join with Angels and Archangels 

 and the vast company of heaven and earth, in 

 the great and glorious Christmas Te Deum. 



But this solemn mood did not last long. 

 Rob's servant produced some unexpected 



