, when Heinrich ran in, his mother following;
and, scarcely pausing for breath, the boy told the wonderful thing that
had happened to them in the night.

"With a sudden understanding of the strange and beautiful story,
Gottfried's mother took Heinrich's mother aside, and whispered to her
how the rose crown had mysteriously disappeared from the house in the
night.

"The two mothers gazed into each other's faces, and then looked with
love and wonder at the little unconscious Gottfried. Tender tears and
smiles struggled in their faces, for they knew in a moment that it was
he who had risen in his sleep, had taken the rose crown to Heinrich, and
had laid his head upon his pillow again without waking.

"When they gently and tenderly told the strange tale to the wondering
children, Heinrich, bursting into tears, threw his arms passionately
round Gottfried's neck, and sobbed out--'Oh! Gottfried! how thou must
have loved me to have done this thing, even while sleeping;' and the
grateful boy never forgot it. He kept his crown of roses as his dearest
treasure, though they soon became withered and brown; and Gottfried and
Heinrich were always friends, though one was rich and the other poor;
and each mother loved and blessed the child of the other even as her
own."

[NOTE.--This story was suggested by reading about
Christmas in Germany, in Bayard Taylor's "Views
Afoot."]

* * * * *

"A--h!" sighed the children, when the story was finished; "this is the
best of all! How those two German boys must have loved each other ever
after."

"Gottfried must have been almost as good as Charley," said Clara, with a
glance full of love towards her brother. The little girl, with her
sweet, sensitive nature, and gentle, caressing ways, seemed closer to
Charley than the rest, though he loved all his brothers and sisters with
his whole heart; but Clara was softer and tenderer, and murmured out her
love in such a dove-like way, that, next to his mother, the sick boy
liked to have her smooth his hair, and hold his hand, and kneel by his
side in prayer; and the rest of the children knew this, and lovingly
gave Clara "her place." Not a shade of envy, that black and wicked
passion, ever entered their hearts; for, as I have many times written,
this was the home of LOVE.

FOOTNOTE:

[A] In Germany, they fill the children's shoes instead of their
stockings.

THE SIXTH LETTER.