UNDER THE POLAR STAB 273 



tongue and turned the words to English as he said them, 

 yet always using good language. 



The children began the entertainment of their guests 

 by showing them everything on the farm, from Sausage 

 up, and had only half explained the wonder room when 

 the bell rang for tea. 



"The little boys have brought funny knit nighties 

 and nightcaps with red tassels," whispered Nat to Dodo, 

 as he returned from showing the Brownies — as Olive 

 called them — their room and had helped unwind some 

 of their wrappings. 



Supper was a rather mixed, but very merry, meal. 

 Olive had dii'ficulty in keeping Dodo from asking the 

 Brownies why they preferred fingers to forks, while 

 Mr. Wolf and Quick saw instantly tliat something 

 unusual was in the air and roved about the table try- 

 ing to snatch scraps, something that they had never 

 before dreamed of doing. But then if Christmas comes 

 but once a year, having a party of two Brownies, a real 

 live woodsman, and a Fin who knows a Dream Fox, is 

 rarer yet. 



The men went out in the clear starlight for a breath 

 of air and to smoke their pipes. Rap's mother helped 

 Mammy Bun in washing dishes and making the kitchen 

 neat, so that by eight o'clock everything was in order 

 for the march upon Camp Saturday. 



"Isn't it nice?" said Dodo to the Brownies; "eight 

 o'clock is go-to-bed-time on common nights, but Christ- 

 mas eve it is the very beginning, for daddy says we 

 may stay up until ten ! " 



The Brownies, however, did not understand much 

 about time, for they usually went to bed whenever it 



