她擦著了第三根火柴,又冒出了火焰?,F(xiàn)在她覺得正坐在非常美麗的圣誕樹下面,比上次圣誕節(jié)透過那富商家的玻璃門看到的那株還要大、還要美。這株樹的綠枝上點(diǎn)燃著許許多多的蠟燭,顏色瑰麗的圖畫,就象櫥窗里掛著的那些一樣漂亮,仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把兩只手伸過去,火柴又熄滅了。然而圣誕樹上的燭光越升越高。她看到它們變成了明亮的星星,有一顆落下來,在天上劃出一道長長的火絲。
“Now some one is dying,” said the little girl, softly, for she had been told by her old grandmother, the only person who had ever been kind to her, and who was now dead that whenever a star falls an immortal spirit returns to the God who gave it.
She struck yet another match against the wall; it flamed up, and surrounded by its light, appeared before her that same dear grandmother, gentle and loving as always, but bright and happy as she had never looked during her lifetime.
“現(xiàn)在又有一個什么人死了。”小姑娘說。因為她的老祖母——一個唯一待她好的人,現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)死了,曾經(jīng)告訴過她,天上落下一顆星,地上就有一個靈魂回到曾賦于他生命的上帝那里去。
她在墻上又擦了一根火柴,火光把四周照亮了。在亮光里,親愛的和生前一樣的祖母出現(xiàn)了。她依然是那么的慈愛和溫和,然而那快活和幸福的樣子卻是她生前從未有過的。