“Will you buy my hair?” said Della.
“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take off your hat and let me see it.”
Down flowed the river of gold.
Madame lifted the hair in her hand. “Twenty dollars.” she said.
“Give me quickly,” said Della.
For the next two hours Della was searching the shops for Jim’s present. She found the present at last. It had certainly been made for Jim and for no one else. It was good enough to go with his watch. In the past Jim sometimes did not like to take out his watch because it had no chain; but, with that chain on his watch, Jim might look at the time in any company.
When Della reached home she set to work to do something to her hair, and her head was covered with little curls which made her look like a schoolboy.

文章插图
At seven o’clock the evening meal was ready.
Jim was never late. She held the watch-chain in her hand and sat on a corner of the table near the door though which he always came in. Then she heard his step on the stairs. She said a little prayer: “Please, God, make Jim think I am still pretty.” The door opened and Jim came in. He looked very thin and serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two. He needed a new coat.
Jim stopped inside the door and stood there. His eyes were fixed on Della. There was a strange look in them. It was not anger, nor surprise. Della could not understand that strange look. He simply stood there looking at her----looking.
Della got off the table and went to him.
“Jim dear,” she said, “don’t look at me in that way. I ---- I had my hair cut off and I sold it, because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. My hair will grow again. You don’t mind, do you? I had to do it. My hair grows very fast. Say ‘Happy Christmas’, Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a beautiful present I’ve got for you.”
“You’ve cut off your hair?” said Jim, as he hadn’t quite understood the fact yet.
“Yes, I’ve cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like just as well without my hair? I’m just the same girl without my hair, aren’t I?”
Jim looked about the room. “You say your hair is gone?” he said.
“You don’t need to look for it,” said Della. “I tell you it’s sold. It’s sold; it’s gone. And this is the evening before Christmas, Jim. I sold it for you. It may be that ‘ the hairs of my head are numbered’, but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I get the meal ready, Jim?”


文章插图
Jim took Della in his arms and kissed her. Then he took a packet out of his coat pocket and put it on the table.
“Don’t make any mistake, Della,” he said. “I don’t think there is anything that you could do to your hair which would make me love my girl any less. But, if you will undo the packet, you will see why I was rather surprised at first.”
Della undid the packet and gave a cry of joy. Then she began to cry. For there lay the combs! The set of combs, side and back, which she had looked at so long in the window of a shop. They were beautiful combs with jewels in them, just the right color for her hair. She had looked at them and wanted them, yet never hope to possess them. Now they were hers; but the hair for which she had wanted them was gone.
She looked up at Jim with tear-filled eyes. Then, with a smile, she said, “My hair grows so fast, Jim.”
She jumped up and cried, “Oh! Oh! Oh!”
Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him in her open hand. The bright gold shone.


文章插图
“Isn’t it beautiful, Jim? I hunted all over the town to find it. You’ll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch, I want to see how it looks on it.”

• 英语阅读原文 英语文章阅读带翻译
• 金鱼鳃边缘有点发白 金鱼鳃发白怎么回事
• 天堂鸟烂根处理方法 天堂鸟烂根了怎么救治
• 福克斯怎么更换汽油滤清器
• 欠货款不还怎么起诉 欠货款不还如何起诉
• 最难的日子你是怎么撑过来的 撑过最难的日子的句子
• 点火提前角怎么调节 点火提前角如何调节
• 男朋友不回我微信的处理方式 男友不回微信怎么挽回
• 长城汽车vv5油耗怎么样
• 怎样给鱼换水最合理为什么? 怎么给鱼换水不伤害鱼