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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
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