“Here the angel broke off, and threw a kiss to the condemned woman, and St. Peter asked her how it happened that she, who had been so deaf to all appeals from the poor, had been so sweetly generous to the child.

“The tormented woman answered amid her loud sobs:  ’The tearful eyes of the little one reminded me of my small sister, who died a painful death before I had grown to be hard and wicked, and a strange sensation—­I know not how it happened myself—­overpowered me.  It seemed as if my heart warmed within me, and something seemed to say to me that I would never forgive myself as long as I lived, and would be even unhappier than I was, if I did not give the child something to rejoice over at Christmas time.  I longed to draw her towards me and kiss her.  After I had tossed her half of the nuts, which I had just bought, I felt happier than I had for many a day, and I would certainly have given her some money, though only a little . . . .’

“But Peter interrupted her.  He had heard enough, and as he knew that it was impossible for any one in Heaven or Hell to tell an untruth, he nodded to her, saying:  ’That was, beyond dispute, a good deed, but it is too small to counterbalance the great weight of your bad deeds.  Perhaps it may lighten your punishment.  Still great riches were meted out to you on earth, and what were a few nuts to you!  The motive that urged you to bestow them is pleasing in the sight of the Lord, I acknowledge; but as I said before, your charity was too paltry for you to be released from your pains because of it.’

“He turned to go, but a clear voice of wonderful sweetness held him back.  It was that of the Saviour, who advanced with majestic dignity towards the apostle and spoke:  ’Let us first hear if the alms-giving of which we have just learned was really too small to plead for leniency towards this sinning soul.  Let us hear’—­turning to the angel—­’what became of the nuts.’

“‘O dear Saviour,’ answered the angel, ’I ate half of them, and I was grateful to you, for I felt that I owed them to your bounty as they were my ‘little Christ child’ as the people in the city where we lived called a Christmas present.’

“‘You see, Peter,’ the Saviour interrupted the angel.  ’Do we not owe it to the nuts of that woman that a pure child’s soul was led to us?  That in itself is no small thing!  Tell what further happened to you?’

“‘I ate most of them,’ the little girl answered, but I had still more to eat by Christmas-eve; for the people who had looked at me when the woman threw something into my lap were interested in my suffering, and soon I had sold all six sheep, and besides many pennies and groschen, one big thaler had flown into my lap.  With these I was able to buy mother many things that she stood in sore need of, and, though she died on New Year’s morning, she had had many little comforts during her last days.’