reasure, gold and jewels, king's
ransoms, aye and the King comes. (BERTEL _finishes his porridge and
hands the bowl to_ STEEN)

HOLGER. The King?

BERTEL. The King Himself!

STEEN. Oh, and shall we see Him, Uncle, and the fine gifts and
everything?

BERTEL. Why not?--Even the poorest may go up and give--what hast thou to
offer?

STEEN. (_Abashed_) I?--Nothing! (_Puts his porridge bowl and_
BERTEL'S _on the shelf then goes restlessly to the door_)

HOLGER. (_Breaking in with eagerness_) Oh, I have, see, Uncle?
(_Feels in his pocket and brings out two pennies_) See!--Last week
I was gathering sticks in the forest and a fine gentleman rode past and
asked the way of me. I showed him the path and he gave me these!
(_Holds up the pennies_)

BERTEL. (_Rising and going to_ HOLGER _who is in the middle of the
room_) Faith, real money in the family. (_Stoops and looks at the
pennies as though they were a rare sight_)

STEEN. Oh, I thought we were going to buy cakes with those, Holger.

HOLGER. But it's better to give it to the Christ Child. You see He is a
little child, smaller than even you,--and I think He would like a little
gift,--a little bright gift that would buy cakes for Him. (HOLGER _goes
toward the window and stands looking dreamily out at the lights of the
church_)

BERTEL. Aye, to-night we must think of Him,--there in His Holy Church.

HOLGER. It _is_ a holy place, the church!--I feel it every time I
go,--it's like God's forest,--the pillars like old oaks and the great
windows all colors like sunsets through the trees.

BERTEL. _'Tis_ like the forest.

HOLGER. And when the organ plays that's like a storm gathering in the
mountains.

BERTEL. A storm?--Aye!--"The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in
the storm and the clouds are the dust of His feet!"--Why should He not
do a wonder as of old? Perhaps the great miracle will come again!

HOLGER. Oh, which, Uncle?--There are so many in the Bible!

STEEN. Yes, which?--Would there be a whale now to swallow a priest?

BERTEL. Thou goosey! This was no Bible miracle,--it happened there,
_there_, where we see the lights,--hundreds of years ago. (BERTEL
_has followed_ HOLGER _to the window and_ STEEN _joins them.
As he speaks_ BERTEL _slips his arms affectionately round both
children and the three stand looking out. At this moment something stirs
in the dim shadows that shroud the corner up above the fire-place.
Suddenly out of the dark the_ OLD WOMAN