And working?
he asks. They nod again. Then the brownies draw him over to the their
side, and show him how clean the floor is. Good! says SANTA CLAUS.
Then the brownies let go his hand, and the fairies draw him over to
their side, and show him the caps they have made. Fine! says SANTA
CLAUS. Then the fairies let go his other hand, and he goes on
talking. How are Gertrude and Walter? Have they been good? They all
nod. As for the older people, he says, I don't need to ask you
about them. Do you want to know why? They nod. It's because I've
heard all about them already, SANTA CLAUS continues. There's a
little bird that lives up in the eaves of the house and often he flies
down and listens at the window, and then he tells me all he hears.
Tonight he flew way up to the pine woods on the hill, to meet me, and
he told me some things about all the older people in this house which
made me feel quite upset. Shall I tell you what it was? They nod. He
says that they all of them seem to think that they are growing old,
not only the grandfather and grandmother, but the father and mother,
too. They are all the time talking about feeling tired, and saying how
different it all was when they were children, and how long ago that
seems. Now isn't that a shame? I don't blame them altogether, because
I know myself how that sort of thing sometimes happens.
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