A girl with matches
Most
terribly
cold
it
was
;
it
snowed
,
and
was
nearly
quite
dark
,
and
evening
—
the
last
evening
of
the
year
.
In
this
cold
and
darkness
there
went
along
the
street
a
poor
little
girl
,
bareheaded
,
and
with
naked
feet
.
When
she
left
home
she
had
slippers
on
,
it
is
true
;
but
what
was
the
good
of
that
?
They
were
very
large
slippers
,
which
her
mother
had
hitherto
worn
;
so
large
were
they
;
and
the
poor
little
thing
lost
them
as
she
scuffled
away
across
the
street
,
because
of
two
carriages
that
rolled
by
dreadfully
fast
.
One
slipper
was
nowhere
to
be
found
;
the
other
had
been
laid
hold
of
by
an
urchin
,
and
off
he
ran
with
it
;
he
thought
it
would
do
capitally
for
a
cradle
when
he
some
day
or
other
should
have
children
himself
.
So
the
little
maiden
walked
on
with
her
tiny
naked
feet
,
that
were
quite
red
and
blue
from
cold
.
She
carried
a
quantity
of
matches
in
an
old
apron
,
and
she
held
a
bundle
of
them
in
her
hand
.
Nobody
had
bought
anything
of
her
the
whole
livelong
day
;
no
one
had
given
her
a
single
farthing
.
She
crept
along
trembling
with
cold
and
hunger
—
a
very
picture
of
sorrow
,
the
poor
little
thing
!
The
flakes
of
snow
covered
her
long
fair
hair
,
which
fell
in
beautiful
curls
around
her
neck
;
but
of
that
,
of
course
,
she
never
once
now
thought
.
From
all
the
windows
the
candles
were
gleaming
,
and
it
smelt
so
deliciously
of
roast
goose
,
for
you
know
it
was
New
Year
’
s
Eve
;
yes
,
of
that
she
thought
.
In
a
corner
formed
by
two
houses
,
of
which
one
advanced
more
than
the
other
,
she
seated
herself
down
and
cowered
together
.
Her
little
feet
she
had
drawn
close
up
to
her
,
but
she
grew
colder
and
colder
,
and
to
go
home
she
did
not
venture
,
for
she
had
not
sold
any
matches
and
could
not
bring
a
farthing
of
money
:
from
her
father
she
would
certainly
get
blows
,
and
at
home
it
was
cold
too
,
for
above
her
she
had
only
the
roof
,
through
which
the
wind
whistled
,
even
though
the
largest
cracks
were
stopped
up
with
straw
and
rags
.
Her
little
hands
were
almost
numbed
with
cold
.
Oh
!
a
match
might
afford
her
a
world
of
comfort
,
if
she
only
dared
take
a
single
one
out
of
the
bundle
,
draw
it
against
the
wall
,
and
warm
her
fingers
by
it
.
She
drew
one
out
.
“
Rischt
!
”
how
it
blazed
,
how
it
burnt
!
It
was
a
warm
,
bright
flame
,
like
a
candle
,
as
she
held
her
hands
over
it
:
it
was
a
wonderful
light
.
It
seemed
really
to
the
little
maiden
as
though
she
were
sitting
before
a
large
iron
stove
,
with
burnished
brass
feet
and
a
brass
ornament
at
top
.
The
fire
burned
with
such
blessed
influence
;
it
warmed
so
delightfully
.
The
little
girl
had
already
stretched
out
her
feet
to
warm
them
too
;
but
—
the
small
flame
went
out
,
the
stove
vanished
:
she
had
only
the
remains
of
the
burnt
-
out
match
in
her
hand
.
She
rubbed
another
against
the
wall
:
it
burned
brightly
,
and
where
the
light
fell
on
the
wall
,
there
the
wall
became
transparent
like
a
veil
,
so
that
she
could
see
into
the
room
.
On
the
table
was
spread
a
snow
-
white
tablecloth
;
upon
it
was
a
splendid
porcelain
service
,
and
the
roast
goose
was
steaming
famously
with
its
stuffing
of
apple
and
dried
plums
.
And
what
was
still
more
capital
to
behold
was
,
the
goose
hopped
down
from
the
dish
,
reeled
about
on
the
floor
with
knife
and
fork
in
its
breast
,
till
it
came
up
to
the
poor
little
girl
;
when
—
the
match
went
out
and
nothing
but
the
thick
,
cold
,
damp
wall
was
left
behind
.
She
lighted
another
match
.
Now
there
she
was
sitting
under
the
most
magnificent
Christmas
tree
:
it
was
still
larger
,
and
more
decorated
than
the
one
which
she
had
seen
through
the
glass
door
in
the
rich
merchant
’
s
house
.
