When the Curtain opens, you see the Kitchen again just as before,
except that now the six stockings are hanging from the mantel shelf
over the fire-place. Father is sitting beside the table reading the
newspaper. The two Grandparents are still sitting close to the fire,
one on each side. Grandfather has fallen asleep, and Grandmother is
drowsy, so that her head nods. Then she wakes up, and tries to stay
awake; but in a minute her head goes nodding again. Father yawns, puts
down his newspaper; yawns once more and stretches; then goes on
reading.
MOTHER comes in and says, The children are sound asleep.
It's time we all went to bed, says FATHER, putting down the
newspaper. I know I'm ready for it. He yawns.
Besides, adds MOTHER, the fire is almost out; and indeed it ought
soon to be put out entirely, so as to cool the chimney for old Santa
Claus, when he comes.
That's right, too, FATHER agrees. He gets up and goes to Grandfather,
laying his hand on his shoulder. Father, he says, speaking loud so
as to waken him. It's time to go to bed.
What? says GRANDFATHER, waking up with a start; and then he says,
Why, I must have been dozing. Where are the children?
They went to bed long ago, says MOTHER. Don't you remember? And now
it's bed time for all of us. Are you ready, mother?
Yes, I'm more than ready, answers GRANDMOTHER. She rises and
Grandfather, also, and with feeble steps, they go toward the door.
Good-night, GRANDMOTHER says.
Good-night, FATHER and MOTHER answer her, and FATHER continues,
Good-night, father. Pleasant dreams.
Good-night, answers GRANDFATHER, and he and Grandmother go out.
I'll be off too, James, says MOTHER, if you'll look after the fire
and the light.
Yes, I'll attend to all that, answers FATHER.
Then Mother goes out, and Father deadens the fire, using the tongs
and shovel. He takes the chair, in which he has been sitting, and sets
it against the wall beside the clothes basket. Then he lights the
candle on the mantel shelf, blows out the lamp, leaving the room in a
dim light, and goes out.
For a little while everything is quiet. Then there is a noise from
the direction of the wood box. The cover rises, and the head of a
brownie appears, inside the box. He climbs out, followed by another.
They caper about the room, looking at everything, listening at the
doors, looking up the chimney. Then they go to the clothes basket and
raise the lid. Up come four arms, and then two house-fairies stand up
in the basket, and get out with the help of the chair. They, also,
flit about the room, looking at things. Meanwhile the brownies have
taken the broom and dust pan, and begun to sweep, especially over by
the outside door and by the wood box. The fairies take a chair, and
climb up by the mantel shelf. They take down the colored paper, paste
and scissors, and, carrying them to the table, set to work, making
paper caps. In a few moments they hold up two, complete. They leave
them on the table.
Now sleigh bells are heard approaching. The brownies and fairies
leave their work, and clapping their hands, run to the fire-place, and
stand in a group, facing it, looking in. Now the sleigh bells have
come very near: and now they are still. And NOW Santa Claus is heard
scrambling down the chimney. As he comes out from the fire-place, the
brownies and fairies separate to let him through. He sets down his
pack. Then the brownies, on one side, and the fairies, on the other,
take hold of his hands and draw him toward the front of the stage.
SANTA CLAUS smiles down at them, and, shaking the hands that hold
his, says, How are you all? Merry as crickets? They nod, and dance
up and down, still holding his hands. And what have you been doing
with yourselves? he asks them. Playing? They all nod. And working?
he asks. They nod again. Then the brownies draw him over to the their
side, and show him how clean the floor is. Good! says SANTA CLAUS.
Then the brownies let go his hand, and the fairies draw him over to
their side, and show him the caps they have made. Fine! says SANTA
CLAUS. Then the fairies let go his other hand, and he goes on
talking. How are Gertrude and Walter? Have they been good? They all
nod. As for the older people, he says, I don't need to ask you
about them. Do you want to know why? They nod. It's because I've
heard all about them already, SANTA CLAUS continues. There's a
little bird that lives up in the eaves of the house and often he flies
down and listens at the window, and then he tells me all he hears.
Tonight he flew way up to the pine woods on the hill, to meet me, and
he told me some things about all the older people in this house which
made me feel quite upset. Shall I tell you what it was? They nod. He
says that they all of them seem to think that they are growing old,
not only the grandfather and grandmother, but the father and mother,
too. They are all the time talking about feeling tired, and saying how
different it all was when they were children, and how long ago that
seems. Now isn't that a shame? I don't blame them altogether, because
I know myself how that sort of thing sometimes happens. Two or three
years ago I was sick for awhile, and I declare that even I began to
feel old and tired. But all the same I don't believe in letting that
sort of thing go on too long; and do you want to know what I am going
to do about it? They nod eagerly. It's the best scheme you ever
heard of, and I want you to help me with it. Well, I'm going to use
some magic to make them all little boys and girls again for half an
hour. And the way I'm going to do it is this. I've got here a bag of
magic hazel nuts. He takes the bag out of his pocket. I always keep
them in my pocket, because you never know when a thing of that sort
will come in handy. Now, I want you to take these nuts and stick them
into the plum pudding, which they are all going to eat tomorrow for
their Christmas dinner. You must stick them in all around in different
places, so that each of the older people will be sure to get one; and
it won't do the children a bit of harm if they get some, too. In fact
they are so young that this kind of magic won't have any effect on
them at all. But with all the older folks, as soon as the nuts have
been eaten, the magic will begin to work; and what do you suppose will
be the first thing they will all want to do? Do you want to know?
They all nod. They will all want to get down on their hands and
knees, Grandfather and Grandmother and all, and crawl under the table.
Won't that be funny? They all clap their hands and dance up and
down. That's what the magic hazel nuts will make them do, says
SANTA CLAUS. And when they have crawled under the table--you see,
it's a table that has a Christmas dinner on it, and that makes a
difference, of course--well, when they have crawled under the table,
then--. No. I believe I won't tell you about what will happen then.
I'll keep it for a surprise and it's something worth seeing you may be
sure. So that's the plan. Will you help me? They all nod most
emphatically. Here are the nuts, then, he says. Run and stick them
into the pudding, while I fill the stockings.
They take the bag and all run out through the door. Santa Claus goes
to the fire-place, and from his pack fills all six stockings. Then, as
he finishes and takes up his pack, the brownies and fairies return,
and gather round him as he stands in front of the fire-place. SANTA
CLAUS says to them, Did you stick them in? They nod. All around?
They nod again. That's right. Well, I'm off. And, tomorrow, if I can
manage it, I'm going to come back here at about the time when the nuts
begin to work, for I'd like to see the fun myself. Good-bye.
They all shake him by the hand. Then he disappears into the
fire-place. They stand in front of it for a moment, and one of the
brownies kneels down and looks up the chimney after him. Then sleigh
bells are heard on the roof, as the sleigh starts. The brownies and
fairies turn around then, and come away from the fire-place. The
brownies run to the wood box, climb in, and pull the lid down over
them. At the same time the fairies carry the chair over to the clothes
basket, climb onto the chair, step over into the basket, and pull the
lid down over them. Then everything is quiet again.
And that is the end of the Second Scene.