y are so
beautiful?"

"But of what use are they?" said the incorrigible mother who, you see,
was not yet quite cured.

Meanwhile the story was noised abroad that Hansi had found a treasure in
the forest.

The very next day, Christmas Day, as they were eating their goose,
stuffed with apples, there was a ring at the bell--in walked a very
pompous Prussian policeman with fierce moustaches.

"Mrs Herzchen here?" he asked abruptly.

"What do _you_ want?" asked that lady, much indignant at being disturbed
during her Christmas dinner.

"Young person answering to the name of Hansi Herzchen here?"

"Yes, sir. Please, sir, that's me," said Hansi, rising and curtsying,
and growing very red.

The policeman produced a paper in which he entered all sorts of
memoranda.

"_Age and date of birth?_" he demanded of Hansi.

"Seven years old, _of course_," answered Hansi. "My birthday is on
February 27th, if you want to know. It was on a Sunday last year."

"That's beside the question." He looked severe.

"February 27th, 1897," said Hansi, prompted by her mother.

_Residence--temporary or otherwise ----._

_Baptism ---- date of ----._

_Vaccinated ----._

All these facts Hansi's mother supplied at once. They are so constantly
demanded in Germany that she had them always ready at hand, tied up in
seven different packets for each child.

_Married or single?_

Here Hansi giggled, and he entered solemnly the word "_spinster_."

"Is that something _horrid_?" asked Hansi anxiously.

"No, it only means unmarried," said Paul laughing. "_What_ a fool he
is!"

_Occupation?_

"Please sir, I go to school and learn my lessons, but I play a good deal
too."

"We will write 'spinster,'" he said, frowning fiercely.

"Now listen to me, child, if you do not wish to go to prison." The whole
family shuddered with horror.

"Take all those silver things off the tree. They are 'found treasure,'
and belong to the State. You ought to have declared them at once, and
saved me all this trouble," he said.

Hansi began to cry.

Mrs Herzchen was very angry, "Why don't you mind your own business?" she
said. "These things are our property. You will come and demand the
clothes off our backs next."

"Be thankful that I do not accuse you of _stealing_ these valuables,"
answered the fellow in a terrible voice.

"But are you sure they are not chocolate after all?" he said. "They look
remarkably like it, covered with silver paper, you kno