I would attend to it all in good time. And when I do begin, it doesn't
take me long to get up a fine old storm, I can tell you. _Now he walks
up to the Chimney, and knocks on the side of it_. Say, old fellow.
_He waits a moment; then knocks again_. Wake up there. _He waits
a moment; then knocks again_. Wake up, I say.

_And now--would you believe it?--the Chimney opens, first, one of his
eyes, then the other; and then his mouth and nose appear together. Each
of his eyes is exactly the shape and size of one brick. So is his nose.
And his mouth is as long as two bricks side by side. They all turn a
very bright red, when they appear, as though light were shining through
them._

JACK FROST _goes on talking_: What do you mean, Mr. Chimney, by
going to sleep in winter, I'd like to know? Summer is the time for you
chimneys to go to sleep; but in winter when the people in the houses
have their fires burning, you ought to keep wide awake, so as to carry
off the smoke; don't you know that? Sleepy head! You ought to be ashamed
of yourself.

THE CHIMNEY _answers_: Nothing of the sort. Have you forgotten what
night this is, Jack Frost? Don't you know that this is Christmas Eve,
when the fires are all put out, so that Santa Claus can climb down
without getting burned? That's why I was taking a little nap. See? _He
winks with one eye._

JACK FROST _says_: Oh, that's it, is it? Well, that's true enough.
I hadn't thought of old Santa Claus. He'll be here before long,
probably.