wherewith to wake the parents and Gotz from their slumbers.  Thus, when he bid me hold myself in readiness at an early hour, I besought him to make it later.  This, however, by no means pleased him; he answered that the good dame was wont of old to look for him full early on Christmas morning, and he had already too long deferred his greeting.  Yet the surprise I had plotted was uppermost in my mind, and I craved of him right duteously that he would grant me my will.  Whereupon his eyebrows, which met above his nose, were darkly knit, and he gave me to wit, shortly and well-nigh harshly, that he would abide by his own.

At this the blood rose to my head, and a wrathful answer was indeed on my tongue when I minded me of the evening when we had come together, and I asked of him calmly whether he verily deemed that I was so foolish or evil-minded as to hinder him in a pious and kindly office if I had not some worthy reason.  And herein I had hit on the right way; he recovered himself, his brow cleared, and saying only “Women, women!” he shook his head and clasped me to him; and as I fervently returned his kiss, and opened my chamber door, he called after me:  “We will see in the morning, but as early as may be.”

When I presently was in my bed I minded me of the carol the little ones were to sing; and then I remembered my own school-days, and how the Carthusian Sisters had explained to us those words of Scripture:  “And the times shall be fulfilled.”  They were written, to be sure, of a special matter, of the birth of our Saviour and Redeemer; yet I applied them to myself and Gotz, and wondered in my heart whether indeed anything that had ever befallen me in life, whether for joy or for sorrow, had been in vain, and how matters might have stood with me now if, as a young unbroken thing, or ever I had gone through the school of life, I had been plighted to this man, whom the Almighty had from the first fated to be my husband.  If the wilful blood of the Schoppers, unquelled as it had then been, had come into strife with Gotz’s iron will, there would have been more than enough of hard hitting on both sides, and how easily might all our happiness have been wrecked thereby.

It was past midnight when at last I slept; and in the dim morning twilight the Christmas chorus rang through the house in the words the Shepherds heard in Angels’ voices:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.”  It woke Gotz, and when we presently got into the sleigh, he whispered to me:  “How piously glad was your hymn, my sweetheart!  And you were right yestereve, and peace shall indeed reign on earth, and above all betwixt you and me, everywhere and at all times till the E N D.”

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A POSTSCRIPTUM BY KUNZ SCHOPPER

The children entreat me to write more of Margery’s unfinished tale.  Howbeit I am nigh upon eighty years of age, and how may I hope to win favor in the exercise of an act to which I am unskilled save in matters of business?  Yet, whereas I could never endure to say nay to any reasonable prayer of those who are dearest to my heart, I will fulfil their desire, only setting down that which is needful, and in the plainest words.