and gather round him as he stands in front of the fire-place. SANTA
CLAUS says to them, Did you stick them in? They nod. All around?
They nod again. That's right. Well, I'm off. And, tomorrow, if I can
manage it, I'm going to come back here at about the time when the nuts
begin to work, for I'd like to see the fun myself. Good-bye.

They all shake him by the hand. Then he disappears into the
fire-place. They stand in front of it for a moment, and one of the
brownies kneels down and looks up the chimney after him. Then sleigh
bells are heard on the roof, as the sleigh starts. The brownies and
fairies turn around then, and come away from the fire-place. The
brownies run to the wood box, climb in, and pull the lid down over
them. At the same time the fairies carry the chair over to the clothes
basket, climb onto the chair, step over into the basket, and pull the
lid down over them. Then everything is quiet again.

And that is the end of the Second Scene.




The Interlude


Again before the Third Scene begins, MOTHER GOOSE comes out in
front of the Curtain, and this is what she says:

Children, I've got a lot to tell you about what has happened to Walter
and Gertrude since the curtain closed. For quite a while they went on
sleeping, because it was still night, you know. And then morning came,