and finding Captain Cephas there, they all set to work at the
Christmas tree, which was a very fine one, and had been planted
in a box. Captain Cephas had brought over a bundle of things
from his house, and Captain Eli kept running here and there,
bringing, each time that he returned, some new object, wonderful
or pretty, which he had brought from China or Japan or Corea, or
some spicy island of the Eastern seas; and nearly every time he
came with these treasures Mrs. Trimmer declared that such things
were too good to put upon a Christmas tree, even for such a nice
little girl as the one for which that tree was intended. The
presents which Captain Cephas brought were much more suitable for
the purpose; they were odd and funny, and some of them pretty,
but not expensive, as were the fans and bits of shellwork and
carved ivories which Captain Eli wished to tie upon the twigs of
the tree.

There was a good deal of talk about all this, but Captain Eli
had his own way.

"I don't suppose, after all," said he, "that the little gal
ought to have all the things. This is such a big tree that it's
more like a family tree. Cap'n Cephas can take some of my
things, and I can take some of his things, and, Mrs. Trimmer, if
there's anything you like, you can call it your present and take
it for your own, so that will be fair and comfortable all round.
What I want is to make everybody satisfied."

"I'm sure I think they ought to be," said Mrs. Trimmer,
looking very kindly at Captain Eli.