{"product_id":"2940013157927","title":"Christmas, A Happy Time","description":"CHRISTMAS,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA HAPPY TIME.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHarriet and Elizabeth Mortimer were two very pretty, and generally\u003cbr\u003espeaking, very good little girls. Their kind papa and mamma had taken\u003cbr\u003ea great deal of pains that they should be good, and it was very seldom\u003cbr\u003ethat they vexed them by being otherwise. A very happy time was now\u003cbr\u003eexpected in the family at Beech Grove, by the arrival of John and\u003cbr\u003eFrederick Mortimer from school: it was within a few days of Christmas;\u003cbr\u003eand as the sisters and brothers had never, till the last few months,\u003cbr\u003ebeen separated, their meeting together again was looked forward to\u003cbr\u003ewith general and lively pleasure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Do you see anything of the stage, Elizabeth?' said Harriet to her\u003cbr\u003esister, who had been running down to the end of the plantation to peep\u003cbr\u003eover the gate, and listen if she could hear the approach of wheels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'No: there is nothing in sight,' replied Elizabeth, whose teeth\u003cbr\u003echattered from the cold, while her hands were so benumbed, she could\u003cbr\u003escarcely close the gate, which she had ventured to open about half an\u003cbr\u003einch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'They will never come,' said Harriet; 'but you should not open the\u003cbr\u003egate, you know papa and mamma both told us we should not do that. And\u003cbr\u003ehow cold you are! you are all over in a shiver. Come let us have a run\u003cbr\u003eround, and that will warm you. Remember mamma begged of us not to\u003cbr\u003estand still in this sharp cutting wind.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Yes, so she did,' replied Elizabeth; 'and indeed it is very, very\u003cbr\u003ecold, down at that corner. And they will not come any the sooner for\u003cbr\u003eour standing there.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd according to Harriet's proposal, the two little girls began to run\u003cbr\u003eround the grounds, which put them in a complete glow; and Elizabeth's\u003cbr\u003efingers very soon ceased to ache with cold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs they passed the green house, they saw the gardener matting up some\u003cbr\u003emyrtles on the outside; and Elizabeth stopped, to enquire at what\u003cbr\u003etime the coach was likely to pass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I look for it every minute, Miss,' replied the man; 'and that's the\u003cbr\u003ereason I keep about here, that I may be handy to help the young\u003cbr\u003egentlemen out, and bring in the boxes and that. I look for them to be\u003cbr\u003emuch grown, Miss, for 'tis a fine bit now since we have seen them. I\u003cbr\u003edon't know what Master John will say about his myrtle that he used to\u003cbr\u003ebe so proud of, for I am afraid its dead. But hark ye, Miss--sure\u003cbr\u003ethat's wheels.--Yes, and there comes a coach too.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd away posted the gardener, and both the little girls after him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a coach; and it was a very noisy one, or at least the\u003cbr\u003epassengers were very noisy. Such a blowing of horns, and hallooing and\u003cbr\u003ehuzzaing. But the coach went by without stopping at the gate; and\u003cbr\u003ealthough the gardener ran after it, and endeavoured to speak with the\u003cbr\u003ecoachman, his voice was drowned in the multitude of little voices\u003cbr\u003ewithin and without the coach; and he was obliged to return,\u003cbr\u003edisappointed himself, to the disappointed young ladies, who stood\u003cbr\u003eanxiously looking out, within the gate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore there was time to express any regret, another coach appeared in\u003cbr\u003esight, and this might be the coach so much longed for. This also\u003cbr\u003eapproached with shouting and blowing of horns; again the gardener put\u003cbr\u003ehimself forward and this time the coach seemed to draw down towards\u003cbr\u003ethe gate. Harriet even fancied she saw her dear brother John looking\u003cbr\u003eout of one of the windows. But again she was disappointed. The\u003cbr\u003ecoachman, though he drew to the side of the road, scarcely allowed his\u003cbr\u003ehorses to stop; and flinging the servant a letter, which he took from\u003cbr\u003ehis waistcoat pocket, again he flourished his whip, and again the\u003cbr\u003ecoach passed on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A letter for your papa, Miss,' said the gardener, picking it up and\u003cbr\u003eoffering it to the young ladies: 'Shall I take it to James to carry\u003cbr\u003ein?'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'No; I will--I will,' exclaimed both the little girls at once.\u003cbr\u003eElizabeth, though the youngest, generally contrived to be forwardest;\u003cbr\u003eand seizing upon the letter, as the gardener held it between his\u003cbr\u003efinger and thumb, she scampered away, followed by Harriet, and they\u003cbr\u003eboth arrived almost breathless in the drawing-room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The coaches are both past, papa,' said Harriet, 'without John and\u003cbr\u003eFrederick'; and as soon as the information had been given, she burst\u003cbr\u003einto tears.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47147504238832,"sku":"2940013157927","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013157927_p0.jpg?v=1763577588","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013157927","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}