Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening-- the last ev
ening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little gir
l, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; bu
t what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto
worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across
the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fastOne slipper was nowhere
to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it; he tho
ught it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children him
self. So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blu
e from cold. She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of t
hem in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had give
n her a single farthing..She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of
sorrow, the poor little thing!