children,
namely:

A pair of boots for Paul,
A school-cape for Marie,
Handkerchiefs for Fritz with his name embroidered
on them in red cotton,
Stockings for Emma,
A warm hood for Gretchen,
An oilcloth pinafore for Karlchen, who had a special
talent for getting dirty,
And lastly a new pinafore for Hansi.

"Now we might be said to have everything ready for Christmas," said Mrs
Herzchen, on her return home, "if it were not for the Christmas tree. I
suppose we shall have to pay at least one and six for it, and then there
are the candles and apples, balls and sweets. It does seem absurd to
waste good money on such rubbish. What can be the use of it?"

She talked away in this manner, until she made up her mind to do without
the tree for once.

"Your father has no time to see about it," she said to the children. "He
is taken up with looking after other people's rubbishing letters and
parcels, and I can't be bothered--so put the idea out of your heads, you
won't get a tree this year."

The seven children felt very indignant; for it is almost a disgrace in
Germany to have no tree; it is worse than going without a pudding on
Christmas Day in England. The very poorest families manage somehow to
have their tree to light on Christmas Eve. Still they were trained to
implicit obedience and respect for their mother, and did not dare
grumble much openly.

Mrs Herzchen did not consult her husband about it; so he expected his
tree as usual. The good woman felt rather uncomfortable, as if she had
either done something wrong, or omitted doing what was right; but she
justified herself by saying continually to herself "What's the use of
it?"

* * * * *

Hansi dreamt that night of a beautiful Christmas tree that reached up to
the sky and was covered with shining silver, like cobwebs in the frost,
and lit by real stars. She determined that somehow or other they should
have their Christmas tree as usual.

When she came out of school at eleven o'clock, she trotted along in the
opposite way to home, along the wide high road leading to the woods,
with the twisted apple-trees on either side. She made a little bobbing
curtsy, and said "good day" to everyone she met who noticed her at all;
for she had been taught to be polite and friendly.

The ground was frozen and sparkled brightly; the air brought the fresh
colour into her cheeks. She had on a warm hood and cape and a woollen
scarf-