I.

It was dreadfully cold; it snowed, and was beginning to grow dark; it was the last evening of the year,—New-year’s Eve. In this cold, a poor little girl was wandering about the streets with[2] bare head and bare feet. She had slippers on when she left home (+Haus+, with the def. art.), but what was the good of them? They (+Es+) were the large, old slippers of her mother’s—so large that they fell off the little girl’s feet as she hurried across the street to[3] escape a carriage, which came[4] galloping along at a great rate. The one slipper was not to be found, and a boy ran off with the other.

So the little girl wandered about barefooted, with a quantity[5] of matches in an old apron, whilst she held a box[6] of them in her (S. 43, N. 9, _A_) hand. No one had bought _any_ matches of her through[7] the whole livelong day—no one had given her a single farthing[8]. Hungry, and pinched[9] with cold, the poor little girl crept[10] along, the large flakes of snow covering (S. 55, N. 1; use +während+) her yellow hair, which[11] curled round her face.

In[12] a corner between two houses, one projecting beyond the other, she sought shelter. Huddling[13] herself up, she drew her poor little feet, which were red and blue with cold, under her (+sich+) as well _as_ she could, but she[14] was colder than ever, and[15] dared not go home (S. 63, N. 8), for, as she had sold no matches, her cruel[16] father would beat her. Besides[17], it was cold at home (S. 63, N. 8), for they lived just[18] under the roof, and[19] the wind blew in, though straw and rags had been stuffed in the large cracks. Her little hands were quite benumbed with cold. Oh[20], how much good one match would do, if she dared but (+nur+) take it out of the box and draw[21] it across the wall to warm her fingers in the flames!

[1] +Der Sylvesterabend.+

[2] with — feet, +barfuß und unbedeckten Hauptes+, which place before ‘about (+durch+) the streets’.

[3] to escape a carriage, +einem Wagen aus dem Weg laufen+. For the translation of the conjunction ‘to’ in this clause compare S. 19, N. 7.

[4] to come galloping along at a great rate, +in vollem Galopp die Straße entlang kommen+.

[5] a quantity = some.

[6] +Schachtel+, f.; of them = of the same.

[7] through — day, +den ganzen Tag lang+, which is best placed at the commencement of the period.

[8] +Heller+, m.

[9] to be pinched with cold, +vor Kälte erstarrt sein+.

[10] to creep along, +sich weiter schleppen+.

[11] Say ‘which in curls surrounded (+umwallen+, insep. comp. w. v.) her face’.

[12] In — other, +In einem durch ein hervorspringendes Haus gebildeten Winkel+.

[13] Say ‘She huddled herself up (+nie´derkauern+, sep. comp. w. v.) and drew her’, etc.

[14] I am cold, +es friert mich+.

[15] Say ‘and yet she (App. § 24, _B_) dared (+wagen+, w. v.) not to go home’.

[16] ‘cruel’, here = severe.

[17] Say ‘And also (App. § 14) at home it was cold’.

[18] ‘just’, here = immediately.

[19] Say ‘through which the wind blew, although the large cracks (+Spalte+, f.) were stuffed (+verstopfen+, insep. comp. w. v.) with straw and rags’.

[20] Say, ‘Oh (+Ach+), how nice (+schön+) must (Imperf. Subj.) a match be’.

[21] +Ein Zündhölzchen an der Mauer an´reiben+, to draw a match across the wall.

_Section 153._

NEW-YEAR’S EVE.