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That reenery, but it was perfect here in these vast roo added to the ht in a cardboard box of old Victorian wooden toys to be placed under the tree when they were finished

Reuben loved all this It was not only distracting; it was restorative He tried not to study Heddy and Jean Pierre as they passed, for clues of whatever nature they shared with the redoubtable Lisa

And everywhere from outside came the noise of hammers and saws

As for Felix, he left before noon to fly to Los Angeles to ements” with thethe Christmas fair in Nideck or the party up here after the Christ home to see to the adult choir and the orchestra he was asse

And Margon had gone to meet the arrival of the boys’ choir fro at the party They’d been promised a week in America as part of their coements at the hotels on the coast, he was headed on to make some other necessary purchases of additional oil heaters for the outdoors—or so Reuben and Stuart were being told

Frank and Sergei, both very big men, came and went continuously with boxes of china and more silver flatware and other decorations from the lower storerooms Frank was snappily dressed as always, in a polo shirt and clean, pressed jeans, and there was as ever that Hollywood sheen to hiiant of the household, his blond hair an unruly mop, sweated in his rureeable

A tea all the extra bathrooms on the second floor, those on the inside of the corridors, to make sure each and every one was properly stocked for the banquet guests The uests on Sunday

Delivery the bell about every twenty ht rain to photograph the crèche statues and the ceaseless activity

It was rather dazzling and coon could be reached with any questions about anything

“You can expect the entire week to be this way,” said Thibault casually as he handed the ornaments out of the box to Reuben “It’s been this way since yesterday”

At last they broke for a late lunch in the conservatory, the only place where decorating was not going on, its tropical blooruous with the Christmas spirit

Lisa brought plates for thee potatoes already dressed with butter and sour crea carrots and zucchini The bread had been freshly baked She opened Stuart’s napkin for him and put it in his lap, and would have done the same for Reuben if she’d had the chance She poured Reuben’s coffee, put in the teeteners for hiei’s beer

Reuben sensed a gentleness in her he hadn’t seen before but her gestures and o he’d seen her mount a five-step ladder before the front ithout holding on to anything, to wipe solass

Now she banked the little fire in the white Franklin stove, and stood about topping up drinks without a word as Sergei fell on his food like a dog, only using his knife now and then, shoving rolls of beef into hisup the potato the sa an example for schoolchildren