How the tree trembled ! What was coming now ? On its branches they hung little nets cut out of coloured paper , each full of sugarplums ; gilt apples and nuts hung down as if they were growing , over a hundred red , blue , and white tapers were fastened among the branches . Dolls as life-like as human beings -- the fir-tree had never seen any before were suspended among the green , and right up at the top was fixed a gold tinsel star ; it was gorgeous , quite unusually gorgeous ! ` To-night , ' they all said , ` to-night it will be lighted ! ' ` Ah ! ' thought the tree , ` if it were only evening ! Then the tapers would soon be lighted . What will happen then ? I wonder whether the trees will come from the wood to see me , or if the sparrows will fly against the window panes ? Am I to stand here decked out thus through winter and summer ? ' It was not a bad guess , but the fir-tree had real bark-ache from sheer longing , and bark-ache in trees is just as bad as head-ache in human beings . Now the tapers were lighted . What a glitter ! What splendour ! The tree quivered in all its branches so much , that one of the candles caught the green , and singed it . ` Take care ! ' cried the young ladies , and they extinguished it . Now the tree did not even dare to quiver . It was really terrible !
It was so afraid XXXXX losing any of its ornaments , and it was quite bewildered by all the radiance .
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