The most pleasant of Christmas Eve duties, arranging the childrens’ presents near or under the lighted lamps, followed the Pastores. Occasionally a lamp would be hung in a chapel or other preferred place not adjoining the family home, there being no danger of its being molested, a certain sacredness protecting both lamp and presents. Waking early, Jesusa crept on tip-toe from her little room and hurried to the spot where her lamp had been hung, trembling with glad expectancy of the beautiful things she hoped to find there. A light still flickered in it, but there was nothing beneath or near it. What could it mean? She stood a moment spell-bound, then recalling some childish misdemeanors she burst into tears, and falling on her knees, sobbed: “I have been wicked. I was not worthy of Thy favor, Holy Child of God! Thou hast seen fit to punish me.” Don Pedro and Donna Inez, hearing her leave the house, had followed her, wishing to see her delight at the pleasant surprises they had prepared for her. “Wicked, indeed,” said he; “the angels in heaven are not purer. Some thief has despoiled you. We’ll catch him, punish him and force him to make restitution.” Though slow to anger and prone to mercy, he was so incensed that he summoned the Mission Council to meet at once in his office to consider an important matter. A night guard at the Alamo testified that making his rounds he saw the white girl called Cana cross the street and go round the corner where the lamp hung; that later he saw her again cross the street and return home, but that seeing her often playing with Jesusa he suspected nothing, and did not follow her. However, when relieved from duty, he picked up near the corner she had passed the _dulces_ and ribbon end, which he there and then produced. The Mexican woman with whom the child lived testified that early that morning Cana had divided with her children a box of _dulces_, and had given her a bow from which the ribbon end had evidently been detached, claiming to have found them. Cana when arrested and brought to the Alcalde’s office, denied bitterly any knowledge of either _dulces_ or ribbon, then when cross-questioned she became confused and finally began crying: “I knew where Jesusa meant to hang her lamp. I was curious to see what she had, then I don’t know how or why I did it, I grabbed her things, carried them home and hid them in the hole at the foot of the hill.”