LESSON 64 THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

1. It was very cold; it snowed, and was beginning to grow dark, and it was the last night of the year, too—New Year's Eve.

In the cold and darkness, a poor little girl was wandering about the streets with bare head and bare feet.

She had a pair of slippers on when she left home, but what was the good of them?

2. They were very large, old slippers of her mother's, so large that they fell off the little girl's feet, as she ran across the street, to get out of the way of two carriages which came rushing along at a great rate. One slipper was not to be found, and a boy ran off with the other.

3. Thus the little girl wandered about barefooted, with some matches in an old apron, whilst she held a bundle of them in her hand.

No one had bought any matches of her through the whole day—no one had given her a single penny.

4. Hungry, and blue with cold, the poor little girl crept along, the large flakes of snow covering her yellow hair, which curled round her face; but it gave her no comfort to think of that.

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

5. In a corner between two houses, she found shelter. Curling herself up, she drew her poor little feet, which were red and blue with cold, under her as well as she could; but she was colder than ever, and dared not go home, for, as she had sold no matches, her cruel father would beat her.

6. Besides, it was cold at home, for they lived just under the roof, and the wind blew in, though straw and old rags had been stuffed into the large cracks.

Her little hands were quite benumbed [1] with cold. Oh! how much good one match would do, if she dared but take it out of the bundle, draw it across the wall, and warm her fingers in the flame.

7. She took one out and drew it across the wall. How it sputtered [2] and burned! It burned with a warm, bright flame, like a candle, and she bent her hand round it: it was a wonderful light.

It seemed to the little girl as if she were sitting before a large stove, in which the fire burned brightly, and gave out much comfort and much warmth.

8. She stretched out her feet to warm them, too; but the flame went out, the stove disappeared, and there she sat with a little bit of the burnt match in her hand.

Another was lighted; it burned, and where the light fell upon the wall she could see through it and into a large room.

9. There the table was covered with a cloth of dazzling white, and with fine china, and a roast goose was smoking upon it.

10. But what was still more delightful, the goose sprang down from the table, and with a knife and fork sticking in its back, came towards the little girl.

Then the match went out, and she saw nothing but the thick cold wall.

11. She lighted another; and now she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was larger than those she had seen at Christmas through the windows of rich people.

Hundreds of candles were burning among the green branches, and beautiful pictures, such as she had seen in the shop windows, looked down upon her. She stretched out both her hands, when the match went out.

12. She drew another match across the wall, and in the light it threw around, stood her grandmother, so bright, so gentle, and so loving.

Grandmother, the little girl cried, "Oh, take me with you. I know that you will disappear as soon as the match is burnt out, just like the warm stove, the roast goose, and the Christmas tree."

13. She quickly lighted the rest of the matches that remained in the bundle, for she wished to keep her grandmother with her as long as possible; and the matches burnt so brightly that it was lighter than day.

Never before had her grandmother appeared so beautiful and so tall, and, taking the little girl in her arms, she flew high, high up into the heavens, where was neither cold, nor hunger, nor fear, for they were with God.

14. In the chill dawn the little girl was found crouching [3] against the wall, frozen to death on the last night of the Old Year. The early sunlight shone on her pale face, and kissed her smiling lips. Motionless she sat with her matches in her lap—one bundle of them quite burned out.

15. "She has been trying to warm herself," the people said.

But no one knew of the beautiful visions [4] she had seen, or of the glorious light in which her grandmother had borne her away to a New Year of peace and joy.

—From Andersen's Fairy Tales

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[1] benumbed: Frozen stiff.

[2] sputtered: Burned in jerks because it was wet.

[3] crouching: Lying close to the ground.

[4] vision: Sight, something which appears as in a dream.