The next day he asked Anna Klein: "What would you like for Christmas?"

Anna, however, had insisted that she did not want a Christmas present.

Later on, however, she had seen a watch one of the girls on the hill
had bought for twelve dollars, and on his further insistence a day or so
later she had said: "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do."

"You oughtn't to spend money on me, you know."

"You let me attend to that. Now, out with it!"

So she told him rather nervously, for she felt that twelve dollars was a
considerable sum. He had laughed, and agreed instantly, but when he went
to buy it he found himself paying a price that rather startled him.

"Don't you lose it, young lady!" he admonished her when, the day before
Christmas, he fastened it on her wrist. Then he had stooped down to kiss
her, and the intensity of feeling in her face had startled him. "It's
a good watch," he had said, rather uneasily; "no excuse for your being
late now!"

All the rest of the day she was radiant.

He meant well enough even then. He had never pretended to love her. He
accepted her adoration, petted and teased her in return, worked off his
occasional ill humors on her, was indeed conscious sometimes that he was
behaving extremely well in keeping things as they were.