(原版)澳大利亞語文第三冊 LESSON 22

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LESSON 22 CHRISTMAS IN THE OLD COUNTRY

CHRISTMAS IN THE OLD COUNTRY

[A LETTER FROM HARRY IN ENGLAND TO JOHN IN QUEENSLAND .]

Brownlands' Farm,

Warwickshire, England,

December 26th, 1913.

Dear John,

1. You will remember how, whenever we spent a Christmas together in Queensland, our parents talked of the way they used to spend Christmas in the Old Country. Well, I will tell you how I passed my Christmas in England, where I am staying at Brownlands' Farm, the home of one of father's oldest friends.

2. It is a fine old farm-house built of stone with wide, open fireplaces, and I can assure you a good fire is a very great comfort in an English December. It began to freeze hard the night I came to the farm, and has been freezing ever since.

3. On Christmas Eve a light fall of snow covered everything with a cloak of purest white. Tom, the farmer's son, came rushing in at dinner-time, in high glee, to bring the news that the two-acre mere [1] would bear, and that we could go skating. Tom lent me a pair of skates and we set off.

4. Of course, coming from Queensland, I knew nothing of skating, but Tom told me it was quite easy, and that I should soon learn. Arriving at the mere, we found some fifty people gliding merrily over the ice, and it certainly looked easy enough.

5. Tom showed me how to fasten on my skates, and took my hand to lead me on to the ice. Although I had only a couple of yards to walk, I found it very difficult to balance myself on two thin steel blades.

6. Bad as that had been, worse was to follow. Hardly had I put my feet on the ice when they seemed to glide away from me, and bump! down I sat. There I should have had to remain, had not Tom and a schoolmate of his come to my rescue. They lifted me up and very kindly took me in tow [2] .

7. I found great pleasure in moving so quickly through the crisp clear air, and soon wanted to try by myself. I had several falls in doing so, and my ankles ached, but I kept trying till I could get along somehow.

8. That evening, as we were all sitting round the fire telling stories, we heard singing outside the front door. A group of children from the village were singing carols [3] very sweetly. Farmer Brownlands bade them all come into the dining-room, and gave them mince pies and hot coffee, and his wife gave each child a new three-penny piece.

9. On Christmas morning we found that Santa Claus had been busy during the night. Ranged [4] round the fireplace were many presents for the good farmer, his wife, and children; and even I was not forgotten, for I found a pair of warm gloves for my freezing fingers and a muffler [5] for my neck.

10. We all went to church for morning service. The day before, the church had been decked with sprays of holly and ivy. The shining green leaves and scarlet berries were twined round the stone pillars with pretty effect [6] . The Christmas music was bright and hearty, and it was a pleasure to join in the Christmas hymns.

11. After church, we walked home to dinner—such a dinner— a regular giant of a turkey, a fine sirloin of beef, roast fowls, plum pudding, rich and brown, with a sprig of holly in the centre, and heaps upon heaps of white mince pies. The farmer had invited his brother's family to dinner, and we sat down sixteen in all.

12. During the afternoon we again visited the mere, and I got on very well with my skates, having but few falls. Coming home, Tom's sisters and cousins started snowballing one another, and soon we were all busily engaged. Tom then asked us to help him in making a snow man.

SNOWBALLING

13. This we did by rolling a snowball along. It rapidly grew larger as more snow stuck to it. We shaped the snow like the body of a man, rolled two more snowballs to make the legs, and put a smaller snowball for the head, while on the top of all we placed an old hat. By the time our snow man was finished it had grown quite dark, so we went in and ate heartily of the good things on the tea-table.

14. After tea we played games—Blind-man's-buff, Musical Chairs, and the like —till eight o'clock. We then went into another room where we found a Christmas tree, lit up by scores of tiny candles, and with Father Christmas in charge. Each member of the party received some present off the tree.

15. The younger children then went to bed, but I was allowed to sit up with the elders and join in the fireside chat. Finally we all retired about eleven o'clock, and I felt that my first Christmas Day in Old England had been a very happy one.

Your loving friend,

HARRY .

* * *

[1] mere: A small shallow lake.

[2] took me in tow: Caught hold of my hands and guided me along.

[3] carols: Christmas hymns.

[4] ranged: Placed in order.

[5] muffler: A warm woollen scarf.

[6] with pretty effect: Making a pleasing picture.