‘Are there mouses in our house?’ Tilly asked him rather anxiously. ‘No, sweetheart,’ she heard Jim say. ‘And not likely to be, either, and Vincent is a very rare breed of mouse-hunting hound, and they are all scared of him.’ ‘Good,’ Tilly said. ‘There are spiders, though,’ Jake said. ‘There’s one at the bottom of your bed the size of my head.’ ‘Dad!’ Pushing the door open, Lydia found that Jim and the children were the only ones in the cosy room, with Vincent curled up at Jim’s feet. She noticed two knitted red and white stockings hanging above the fireplace. ‘Father Christmas is coming tonight,’ Tilly told Lydia, clenching her fists with barely containable excitement. ‘I’m getting an Xbox,’ Jake said. ‘Possibly, or possibly something even better,’ Jim said carefully, winking at Lydia. ‘So how was your walk?’ ‘Good. Did you see where Will went?’ ‘I sent him to find the girls; they are present wrapping in the kitchen. Katy’s more or less refused to move from beside the Aga in case it goes into decline.
What do You think about The Night Before Christmas?
