Christmas, A Happy Time | Page 8

few hours
in examining his boys in the improvements they had made during the
last half-year; for he had wisely resolved, for the comfort of the whole

family, that the entire day was not to be given up to play. During this
time, Harriet and Elizabeth were occupied with their mamma; and after
this as the day continued bright, though cold, it was determined to put
into effect the proposed stroll of yesterday. And first to the farm-yard,
where the poultry-maid supplied them with corn: and with this
enticement, the fowls and ducks were called together and numbered,
and the various beauties of both enumerated. This speckled hen had
been such a good mother, and a good handful of grain was tossed to
her;--then the beautiful little bantam had been nursed in a stocking, and
was so tame that it would come and eat out of the hand;--then there was
the fine old cock that crowed so loud he might be heard all over the
parish, and a handful was thrown to him;--then there was the young one
which the old one drove about so, that it could get nothing to
eat;--Harriet made his necessities her care: but it was useless to throw
him any: for the old cock would not allow him to come near the grain.
'Nasty greedy fellow,' said Elizabeth, 'I am sure there is enough for all,
but the young cock cannot get a morsel.'
'I believe we must get rid of him,' observed Mrs. Mortimer; 'for it is
miserable to see him driven about so.'
'He is to be killed next, Madam,' answered the poultry-maid, who now
approached with two fowls hanging from her hands, from which drops
of blood were falling.
Mrs. Mortimer moved away with the children: for she saw that Harriet
turned pale at the sight of the blood.
'I cannot think how Jane can kill the fowls, mamma,' said Elizabeth; 'I
am sure I could not, if we never had any at all.'
'I should be very sorry if you could, my dear little girl, for there is no
necessity for your doing it; and without conquering your feelings of
tenderness, you never could acquire the resolution to do it. In Jane's
situation it was necessary for her to habituate herself to an employment
which devolves to her as the rearer of the poultry: but I assure you it
was a long time before she could first bring herself to deprive those

creatures of life which she had been accustomed to look after and feed.
And even now I believe when she can meet with the gardener or groom,
she most generally employs them.'
'Are there no ducks, mamma?' said Frederick: 'we used to have such a
number.'
'There is your old favourite drake just stopping under the gate,' replied
Mrs. Mortimer: 'and we will follow him into the field, for it is rather
cold standing still.'
They then went into the field, and after that came round to the
green-house, where the gardener was very busily employed in
gathering some beautiful grapes.
'How nice and warm it is here,' said several of the children, on entering
the house. The gardener then approached to ask the young gentlemen
how they did, and to tell them how much they were grown, and to say
that he hoped they would like the grapes. John and Frederick answered
all the old man's questions with kindness and civility; and as the young
party were leaving the green-house, he asked them whether they should
not want some flowers and evergreens against their little dance?
'Oh yes, if you please, gardener,' was the ready and quick answer:--'we
may, mamma, may we not?' said Harriet, looking up at her mother
before she gave her reply.
'The gardener may give you what he can spare,' replied Mrs. Mortimer.
'And gardener,' added she, looking back towards the green-house,
'desire your grandson to go into the copses, and bring home a little cart
of holly, that we may have the kitchen well ornamented, when the
tenantry come to their dinner.'
'He shall be sure to do it, ma'am,' replied the gardener. 'I look we shall
have a merry Christmas, and I do like to see the room well dressed up.'
As Tom, the gardener's grandson, was a steady, well-behaved lad, Mrs.
Mortimer allowed John and Frederick to accompany him to the copses,

in search of the holly. Harriet and Elizabeth would, no doubt, very
much have liked to belong to the party also, but they were easily
convinced of the propriety of their not doing so, and were therefore
satisfied to see their brothers drive off with Tom Harding, and return in
two or three hours afterwards, walking by the side of the little vehicle,
which then appeared a moving shrub of red-berried holly.