Maurice Bouchor was born at Paris in 1855.

Bouchor is a dramatic poet of rare inspiration and tragic depth. His best-known long plays, “Tobie,” “NoËl,” and “Les MystÈres d’Eleusis,” are, in the words of an eminent French critic, “among the most beautiful works of our time.” “Conte de NoËl”—“A Christmas Tale,” here translated for the first time into English—is a charming little dramatic episode. It was first performed at the ComÉdie FranÇaise, in Paris, in 1895.

This play may be elaborately staged, but the detailed stage-directions need not be faithfully adhered to. The simplest of interiors and costumes may be used.

A CHRISTMAS TALE