Section 152. NEW YEAR’S EVE[1]. I.
Reading edition
Section 152. NEW YEAR’S EVE[1]. 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!