"Send her away," cried Robert, without raising his head.
The door opened, and closed again.
"Well," said Alice calmly, "and who are you? You may have lied to
this poor child, but you cannot deceive me. You are NOT Father
Christmas."
The miserable man raised his shamefaced head and looked haggardly at
her.
"Alice!" he muttered, "don't you remember me?"
She gazed at him earnestly.
"Robert! But how changed!"
"Since we parted, Alice, much has happened."
"Yet it seems only yesterday that I saw you!"
[EDITOR. IT was ONLY YESTERDAY.