A thin carpet of snow lay lightly sprinkled over the land . In some houses in the village of Bergen the lights had been put on but it was still early in the day .

The parents of the children from the village school had been watching the Christmas play that had been performed by the upper sixth . Now they where listening to the choir that was singing a few hymns to end the day .

As the boy sopranos filled the air, one or two mothers sniffed a little and a few handkerchiefs appeared as the song went on .

The boy that sang the solo was tall , slender , blond and blue-eyed .
His classic features caused him to be nick-named "Pretty-Pauli" among the village tough-kids with whom he was not allowed to play .
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Later that evening Pauli’s parents were looking at the letter from the director of the Wiener Sänger Knaben .
"Oh Paul , wouldn’t it be nice if he became a famous singer. . . ?" Martha whispered .
"Nonsense !" Dr. Räder said curtly. "The boy is going to be a Doctor, like I am and like his grandfather !"