Now sleigh bells are heard approaching.  The brownies and fairies leave their work, and clapping their hands, run to the fire-place, and stand in a group, facing it, looking in.  Now the sleigh bells have come very near:  and now they are still.  And now Santa Claus is heard scrambling down the chimney.  As he comes out from the fire-place, the brownies and fairies separate to let him through.  He sets down his pack.  Then the brownies, on one side, and the fairies, on the other, take hold of his hands and draw him toward the front of the stage.

Santa Claus smiles down at them, and, shaking the hands that hold his, says, How are you all?  Merry as crickets?  They nod, and dance up and down, still holding his hands.  And what have you been doing with yourselves? he asks them.  Playing?  They all nod.  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.  Two or three years ago I was sick for awhile, and I declare that even I began to feel old and tired.  But all the same I don’t believe in letting that sort of thing go on too long; and do you want to know what I am going to do about it?  They nod eagerly.  It’s the best scheme you ever heard of, and I want you to help me with it.  Well, I’m going to use some magic to make them all little boys and girls again for half an hour.  And the way I’m going to do it is this.  I’ve got here a bag of magic hazel nuts.  He takes the bag out of his pocket.  I always keep them in my pocket, because you never know when a thing of that sort will come in handy.  Now, I want you to take these nuts and stick them into the plum pudding, which