Polly is cooking the Christmas supper, and often swings forward the long crane, from which an iron pot hangs over the fire, adding a little salt from time to time. The idle Margaret reclines in a low chair; her sewing has fallen from her listless hands, which lie idly in her lap, and she seems to be careless of all around her. Jack sits by the fire, and is constantly eating from the contents of his pockets, which are full of nuts, apples, cakes, and candy.
ACTION.
Willie enters, struts about the room with a profusion of low bows, of which little notice is taken by any one but the farmer's wife, who shakes his hand, and gives him a cordial welcome. She leads him toward Isabel, who rises, makes him a low courtesy, taking hold of her dress with both hands, to do which she lays the hat in a chair. Willie seems struck with the courtesy, and imitates it so clumsily that all laugh. In his confusion he sits down on the hat, and jumps up quickly. Isabel picks up the hat, which is crushed flat, and tries in vain to restore it to shape; then claps it on Willie's head as if to try the effect, while he sits in a very stiff attitude in imitation of a milliner's block.
Robin then enters, rubbing his hands as if suffering from the cold; he approaches the fire to warm them; the farmer looks scornfully at him, and motions him away; he seems ashamed, and retreats to the back of the room, and sits on a stool beside Willie, who laughs and upsets the stool with his foot. Robin sits heavily down upon the floor, and in falling hits Willie's foot, who falls forward. Isabel laughs, but Mabel runs to his aid, forgetting her dusty hands, which cover his coat with ashes, as he clumsily regains his seat.
Robin rises, and nearly sits down upon Tom, a small boy who has picked up the stool, and is lying across it. Tom crawls away just in time, and tries to wake up Margaret, tangles his mother's yarn about his feet, and seems intent upon mischief. The farmer rises as if angry at being disturbed, but Mabel goes toward him, as if apologizing for the accident; then runs to the door as a knock is heard. A poor old woman enters, and asks alms from each, begging money from the farmer, who refuses, and points to the door, which motion all follow in turn, except Robin and Mabel. Jack pretends to give her an apple, which he holds near her lips, but withdraws it as she is about to taste, and crowds it into his own mouth; then claps his hands as if he had done a clever action. The old woman next tries to lift the lid off the kettle, but Polly resists, and pushes her away so hastily that she burns her fingers, and begins to cry. Mabel and Robin try to comfort her, and Mabel takes a cake from Jack, and hands it to the old woman, who eats it as if she was very hungry. Jack begins to cry for his cake, and Mabel motions that he has plenty more, but he shakes his head and cries again. A great cake then comes from the chimney, strikes Jack on the head, and fastens around his neck like a gigantic old-fashioned doughnut with a hole through the centre.
Jack seems much pleased, and tries to taste his new collar, but finds it impossible to get his teeth into it. The farmer begins to scold at the old woman, and lays down his purse upon the settle, in order to push her out, when the purse flies up the chimney, and hangs just out of his reach. He jumps for it, and it begins dancing up and down. All the rest except Mabel and Robin chase the old woman round the room, led by the farmer's wife, who secures a broom, and tries to strike her. The old woman rushes from side to side, and Mabel opens the clock, into which she springs, and is concealed in a moment. The farmer makes a frantic leap for his money bag, and knocks over the kettle. Jack and Tom jump about violently as if scalded, while Mabel picks up the fowl, places it upon the table, and persuades her father to come to supper. Robin places chairs, and all sit down.
The clock strikes, and as the farmer turns around, he sees instead of the face of the clock, that of a pretty little girl with blonde hair. He calls the attention of the rest of his family to this change, but when they look the clock face alone appears. The farmer seems very much astonished, and puts on his spectacles, when he again beholds the sweet face, which disappears as soon as he has called the attention of the family.
They resume their meal. As the farmer attempts to cut up the fowl, it lifts itself up and gives a loud crow. The farmer drops his knife in fear and trembling, but is encouraged by Jack, who expresses in pantomime that he is very hungry. The farmer makes a second attempt, at which the fowl leaps from the table and disappears up the chimney. The farmer and his wife rush out of the room in eager haste, followed by all the family.
The clock case opens and shows a beautiful fairy, who waves her wand in the air five times, and transforms the whole family into Mother Goose personages. The farmer returns dressed in a long red robe with a huge crown on his head, and personates the King who spends all his time counting out his money. This he constantly does, taking it from a large bag; and as soon as he has counted all the pieces, he puts his hand up to his crown, trying in vain to lift it off, as if it made his head ache; then he begins again to count over and over his tiresome money.
The farmer's wife comes in next as the old woman with the broom. She rushes about, raising a great dust, and then jumps up and down, brushing the ceiling of the room, as if trying to brush the cobwebs from the sky.