“We consent,” cried all the people; but the Mayor, though he was so generous, was a proud man.  “I will not consent to the second condition,” he cried angrily.

“Very well,” replied the Costumer, picking some more cherries, “then your youngest daughter tends geese the rest of her life, that’s all.”

The Mayor was in great distress; but the thought of his youngest daughter being a goose-girl all her life was too much for him.  He gave in at last.

“Now go home and take the costumes off your children,” said the Costumer, “and leave me in peace to eat cherries.”

Then the people hastened back to the city, and found, to their great delight, that the costumes would come off.  The pins stayed out, the buttons stayed unbuttoned, and the strings stayed untied.  The children were dressed in their own proper clothes and were their own proper selves once more.  The shepherdesses and the chimney-sweeps came home, and were washed and dressed in silks and velvets, and went to embroidering and playing lawn-tennis.  And the princesses and the fairies put on their own suitable dresses, and went about their useful employments.  There was great rejoicing in every home.  Violetta thought she had never been so happy, now that her dear little sister was no longer a goose-girl, but her own dainty little lady-self.

The resolution to provide every poor child in the city with a stocking full of gifts on Christmas was solemnly filed, and deposited in the city archives, and was never broken.

Violetta was married to the Cherry-man, and all the children came to the wedding, and strewed flowers in her path till her feet were quite hidden in them.  The Costumer had mysteriously disappeared from the cherry-tree the night before, but he left at the foot some beautiful wedding presents for the bride—­a silver service with a pattern of cherries engraved on it, and a set of china with cherries on it, in hand painting, and a white satin robe, embroidered with cherries down the front.

IV.  THE SHEPHERDS AND THE ANGELS

ADAPTED FROM THE BIBLE

And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.  And an angel of the Lord stood by them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:  and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:  for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this is the sign unto you; ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace,
Good will toward men.