The Christmas Dinner | Page 8

by the brownies; and then Mother found the paper
caps that the house-fairies had made. She was ever so glad; and so were

the children when they opened them up and put them on. You'll see
how they look on the children's heads when the curtain opens. Then
about the dinner. Father had brought in the big table, and set it up in the
kitchen in front of the fire-place, and Mother put on the plates and the
forks and the knives and the spoons and all the rest. Then the goose
was roasted, and, oh, how good it smelt when it was cooking. At last
everything was ready and twelve o'clock came, and they all sat down at
the table. And do you know, I believe they are still sitting there behind
the curtain. But they have finished the goose and the apple sauce and
all the good things that went with them, and now they are just going to
begin on the pudding. They don't know a thing about the magic nuts,
because the brownies and the fairies stuck them in so neatly, that not
one of them shows. Mother is just starting to put the pudding on the
saucers. I wonder if she will remember about giving it to the youngest
first. That's Gertrude, you know. Do you want to see for yourselves
whether she remembers? Well, be very quiet then, for now it is going to
begin.

The Third Scene
When the Curtain opens, you again see the kitchen, but it looks a good
deal different, because the chairs that Grandmother and Grandfather
used to sit in have been moved out; so has the small table on which
Mother washed the dishes in the First Scene; and now in front of the
fire-place is the great big table that Mother Goose told you about. The
table cloth on it is so big that it hangs all the way down to the floor. At
one end of the table sits Father; then next to him, back of the table
facing you, is Grandfather, then Gertrude, then Walter, then
Grandmother and at the other end of the table, next to Grandmother,
Mother is seated. The children have on those bright-colored paper caps
that the house-fairies made. MOTHER, who is helping the pudding, is
the first to speak and this is what she says:
There's the first plateful of our Christmas pudding, and that goes to
Gertrude, of course. She hands it to Grandmother, who passes it on to
Walter.
Um! says WALTER, holding it for a moment under his nose. That
smells good! He passes it to Gertrude.
GERTRUDE asks, Shall I wait till everybody else is served, before I

begin?
No, not today, says FATHER. Begin at once. We all want to know how
it tastes.
Gertrude tastes it. Oh, it is good, she says.
Mother meanwhile has helped another plateful, and passed it to
GRANDMOTHER, who says, Walter, here is yours. And she hands it
to him. He tastes it.
Is it good, Walter? asks GRANDFATHER.
WALTER with his mouth very full can only say, Um!
Pass this down to Father, says MOTHER, and she starts to hand
another plateful of pudding to Grandmother.
Oh, Mother, exclaims GERTRUDE, aren't you younger than Father?
Yes, just by two months, answers MOTHER, keeping the plateful of
pudding in her hand. You think I ought to be helped next? All right;
we'll keep strictly to the rules, and I'll set this aside for myself, while I
help the others. She helps another plateful. This is for you James, she
says to Father, and passes it along. And Grandmother, she says, this is
for you. She hands a plateful of pudding to Grandmother.
Grandfather, here is yours last of all, because you are the oldest of us,
MOTHER says, and starts the last plateful of pudding on its way to
Grandfather.
Suddenly FATHER, who has been eating some of his pudding,
exclaims, Here's something new. You never put nuts in the plum
pudding before, Mary.
Nuts? says MOTHER, very much surprised, There aren't any nuts in
the pudding.
But, indeed there are, FATHER insists, I've just eaten one.
And so have I, adds GRANDMOTHER.
And here is another one, declares GRANDFATHER, and he holds it up
in his spoon. It's a hazel nut, he says, and puts it into his mouth.
Why, I don't understand it all, exclaims MOTHER. I didn't put any
hazel nuts in the plum pudding. Who ever heard of such a thing!
Children, have you found any in yours?
Yes, says GERTRUDE.
I've had two, says WALTER.
Mother has been looking carefully at the pudding on her plate. I declare,
you're right, she says. Here's one in mine. She eats it. They are very

good nuts, too; but