They had no gifts nor did they expect any, for Spanish children wait until the Feast of the Three Kings in January for their presents. They took great pleasure, however, in the gifts they made to others. They had a little present prepared for each house servant, and when they sat down to breakfast they found several little verses headed “A Happy Christmas” which had been left by humble petitioners who hoped to be remembered at the Christmas season. Señora Vasquez was used to such appeals, and she had a number of little gifts waiting for the children to distribute.
Anitia watched for the postman, of whom she was very fond, and gladly ran to present his gift. Antonio was quite as eager to remember his friend the newsboy, and there were many others whom they were pleased to make happy. It seemed such a pleasant way to spend Christmas morning and the time of gift-giving passed too quickly.
There were other visitors, also, whose coming added to the excitement of the day. Young Señor Vasquez had several tenants and, according to tradition, all these must come to greet him and bring their rent on Christmas morning. Very few brought money, but one presented a barrel of grapes, another a cask of finest olive-oil, and funniest of all were the peasants from the country who brought their offerings in the form of live pigs and turkeys. Of course each one was received most politely, given a Christmas box and sent away content.
Then came the midday luncheon which the children had been anticipating. There was almond soup and truffled turkey with roasted chestnuts and Spanish sweetmeats. In fact they had all the good things that were appropriate to Christmas Day, and nothing was lacking to make their holiday meal complete.
After the afternoon siesta, it was time for another walk, and this time both their parents went with them for a stroll under the elms of the beautiful Alameda, a street which is lined with splendid palaces on either side. Everybody was out for a promenade and they met many friends. Then they continued their walk in the gardens of the Alcazar, the beautiful palace of which all Seville is proud. Here their father told them more stories of the building of the palace in the days when the Moors held Seville as their own, by means of the heavy fortified walls which have long since fallen in ruins. But the children preferred the tales of their own people and made him tell other stories of the beautiful Queen Isabella who once held court there. Antonio and Anitia were home-loving children and they thought no city in the world could be more beautiful than their own sunny Seville.
The hours passed too quickly. It seemed to the children that the day was only fairly begun when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen and their walk was over. When they reached home, they found Mariquita impatient to tell them her good news. She said she was the happiest girl in all Seville, for her parents had relented and she was going home to be formally betrothed to Don Francisco. In fact she was quite ready to go and was only waiting to bid them good-bye.
It was hard to have her leave them and Anitia could scarcely keep back the tears when she thought that Mariquita would not live with them any longer. But she smiled again at the prospect of the wedding in the near future, for Mariquita declared that Don Francisco’s brave little “defensores” should be numbered first among her wedding guests.
So the Christmas Day ended happily for all, and two tired children were glad when nightfall came.
“It’s only a week until New Year’s,” said Anitia, “and then Mariquita will be a bride.”
“And in another week comes the Feast of the Three Kings,” said her brother. “You know that is the day that the Wise Men pass by on their way to visit the Christ-child. We mustn’t forget to put some straw in our shoes and place them outside where the Magi’s horses can see them.”