s knees_). O holy Aongus, forgive me; give
me your blessing. O holy man, give your blessing to these children.
(_The children fall on their knees round him._)

THE OLD MAN (_stretching out his hand_). The blessing of God on
you. The blessing of Christ and His Holy Mother on you. My own blessing
on you.

THE NATIVITY

TWO WOMEN.

SHEPHERDS.

KINGS.

CHILD ANGELS.

THE HOLY FAMILY.

SCENE.--_A stable. The door shut on it. The dawn of day is
rising, and the colours of morning coming. Two women come in--a woman of
them from the east, and a woman from the west, and they tired from the
journey. There is a branch of a cherry tree in the hand of one of them,
and a flock of flax in the hand of the other of them._

THE FIRST WOMAN. God be with you!

THE SECOND WOMAN. God be with yourself!

FIRST WOMAN. Where are you going?

SECOND WOMAN. In search of a woman I am.

FIRST WOMAN. And myself as well as you.

SECOND WOMAN. That is strange. What woman is that?

FIRST WOMAN. A woman that is about to give birth to a child;
and I think it would be well for her, another woman to be giving care to
her.

SECOND WOMAN. That is the same woman I am in search of in the
same way.

FIRST WOMAN. I did an unkindness to her, and grief and shame
came on me after, and I thought to make up for it if I could.

FIRST WOMAN. Oh, that is just the same thing I myself did.

SECOND WOMAN. That is a wonder. I will tell you how it happened
with me; and you will tell me your story after that.

FIRST WOMAN. I will tell it.

SECOND WOMAN. That is good. I was one evening a while ago
getting ready the supper for my husband and my children, when there came
a man and a young woman to the door, and the woman riding an ass. They
asked a night's lodging of me. They said it was up to Jerusalem they
were going. But, my grief! the husband I have is a rough man, and there
was fear on me to let them in; I was afraid he would do something to me,
and I refused them. They said to me they were very tired; and they
pressed so hard on me that I told them at last to go out and sleep in
the barn, in the place the flax was, and my husband would not have
knowledge of it. But about midnight my husband was struck with sickness,
and a great pain came on him of a sudden, as if his death was near. When
I thought him to be dying, I was in dread; and I ran out to the people I
had put in the barn, asking help from them.

FIRST WOMAN. God help us!