ANITA. That is part of the secret. Listen, Tomasso, tomorrow morning you shall know everything. Early in the morning shall I tell-a you my secret. That will be my Christmas present to you. TOMASSO. All right. I'll wait. Oh, see, Anita, the moon is coming up. (_Points to L._) Just like-a big, round-a silver ball. ANITA. Let us stay here and watch the moon, Tomasso. TOMASSO. You'd better go and get your supper. Those leetla Dutch twins are eating everything on the table. I think they'd eat the table itself if it was-a not nailed to the deck. Hurry, Anita! ANITA. I go. (_Crosses to door at R., then turns toward him_). It's a awful good-a secret, Tomasso. (_Laughs and runs out at R._) TOMASSO (_looks off L._). Ah, the great, grand-a lady moon. She looks at me, I look at her. Maybe she'll like a leetla serenade. (_Simple violin solo by_ TOMASSO, _accompanied by hidden organ or piano. After he has been playing sometime, the other children come softly in from the R. and group around the stage. Note: If possible, get a boy for_ TOMASSO'S _part who can play the violin; if not, introduce a song at this point. "Santa Lucia," found in most school collections, would prove effective either as a vocal solo or as a violin solo._) BIDDY MARY. Sure, that's beautiful. It takes me back again to dear ould Ireland where the River Shannon flows. HULDA. What do you do in Ireland the night before Christmas, Biddy Mary? MEENY. Do you have a Christmas tree like we do in Germany? BIDDY MARY. We do not. We don't have any tree at all, at all. PADDY MIKE. And we don't get many presents. But it's a fine time we have for all that. Instead of getting presents, we have the fun of giving presents--and that's the finest thing in all the world, so it is, to make the other fellow happy. Sure, I just love to give presents. KLINKER. You can give me some if you want to. SCHWILLIE. Und me also some. BIDDY MARY. But where would we be getting presents out here in the middle of the ocean? In dear ould Ireland sure it's a fine time we're after having on Christmas Day. PADDY MIKE. It is that. With the fiddles playing and the dancers dancing and the fine suppers upon the table. SERGIUS. In Russia we always set a table in front of the window and put a fine linen cloth on it. (_Produces white lace-edged cloth._) Here is the cloth, but we have no window. HULDA. Here, use this box as a table. (_Indicates a large box at rear C._) Now, let us put the cloth on, so! (HULDA _and_ SERGIUS _put cloth on the box._) BIDDY MARY. The night before Christmas we always put a big candle, all gay with ribbons, in the window to welcome the Christ child. PADDY MIKE. Here is the candle. (_Places it on box at rear C._) Now I'll light it. (_Lights candle._) TOMASSO. We do that also in Italy. And we put a leetla picture of the Christ child on the table. (_Puts colored picture of Madonna and Child back of the candle._)