!"

The Fraeulein stirred in her bed. Then another shout, louder than the
first, and she sat bolt upright.

The gas in the hall had been lighted, and stole in through the transom
sufficiently to give the ghost-like look the girls sought; but even
with this, she was slow in comprehending what was happening.

One more shout, and she sprang out of bed, catching the one nearest to
her, and giving her a good, hard shaking. "Der Christtag! Der
Christtag! Froehlich Weinacht! Froehlich; I wishes you 'arpy Christtag!
What _you_ call it?"

"Merry Christmas!" shouted the girls.

"Ah, Ja! Ja! Merrie Christmas! one Merrie Christmas, a t'ousand Merrie
Christmas. Now you go dress! Miss Ashton say, 'Fraeulein, the young
ladies tak cough.' You catched me, I catched you to-nacht. You see!
gute nacht! gute nacht!"

And like a very small queen, in her pretty nightdress, she waved the
girls away, then locked her door; if they had come back only a few
minutes later, they would have heard the same musical sounds coming
from her bed.

But when the day had fairly dawned, it would have been difficult to
find a more wide-awake, alert teacher than the Fraeulein, or one that
could have given a truer and pleasanter Christmas day and night.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

FRAeULEIN'S GYMNASTICS.

"Fraeulein, can you have prayers for the young ladies in the small
reception-room on Christmas morning?" Miss Ashton asked with much
hesitation the day before leaving.

"Ja! Ja!" answered the Fraeulein, all smiles and nods.

"Very well, then, I will give the notice to-night. As Christmas is a
religious festival, I shall be glad to have a religious as well as a
festival observation of it. As for the matter of going to church, the
young-ladies can do as they please; there need be nothing compulsory
about it."

"I mistand," and the Fraeulein congratulated herself on her correct
English. "All wrong; nein! nein, all."

"Right," said Miss Ashton, laughing.

"Oui, Ja! Der Dank! Tanks. I learn Anglais soon. Patientia, Fraeulein
Ashton. I learn soon, by un by."

In compliance with this request, after a hasty Christmas breakfast,
the girls assembled in the reception-room, and waited with more
curiosity than devotion the coming of the Fraeulein.

She had not been down to breakfast, and when she made her appearance
now, it was as if an odd-shaped swan was waddling into the room. From
head to foot she was dressed in a fluffy white stuff, that stood out