MERRY CHRISTMAS! When Juli opened her sorrowing eyes, she saw that the house was still dark, but the cocks were crowing.

Her first thought was that perhaps the Virgin had performed the miracle and the sun was not going to rise, in spite of the invocations of the cocks.

She rose, crossed herself, recited her morning prayers with great devotion, and with as little noise as possible went out on the _batalan._ There was no miracle--the sun was rising and promised a magnificent morning, the breeze was delightfully cool, the stars were paling in the east, and the cocks were crowing as if to see who could crow best and loudest.

That had been too much to ask--it were much easier to request the Virgin to send the two hundred and fifty pesos.

What would it cost the Mother of the Lord to give them?
But underneath the image she found only the letter of her father asking for the ransom of five hundred pesos.