LITTLE WOMEN - Complete Edition: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men & Jo's Boys. Луиза Мэй Олкотт

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      Little Women

       Chapter One: Playing Pilgrims

       Chapter Two: A Merry Christmas

       Chapter Three: The Laurence Boy

       Chapter Four: Burdens

       Chapter Five: Being Neighborly

       Chapter Six: Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful

       Chapter Seven: Amy’s Valley of Humiliation

       Chapter Eight: Jo Meets Apollyon

       Chapter Nine: Meg Goes to Vanity Fair

       Chapter Ten: The P.C. and P.O.

       Chapter Eleven: Experiments

       Chapter Twelve: Camp Laurence

       Chapter Thirteen: Castles in the Air

       Chapter Fourteen: Secrets

       Chapter Fifteen: A Telegram

       Chapter Sixteen: Letters

       Chapter Seventeen: Little Faithful

       Chapter Eighteen: Dark Days

       Chapter Nineteen: Amy’s Will

       Chapter Twenty: Confidential

       Chapter Twenty-One: Laurie Makes Mischief, and Jo Makes Peace

       Chapter Twenty-Two: Pleasant Meadows

       Chapter Twenty-Three: Aunt March Settles the Question

       TOC return

Chapter One

      Playing Pilgrims

      “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

      “It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

      “I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

      “We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.

      The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, “We haven’t got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.” She didn’t say “perhaps never,” but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

      Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, “You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can’t do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don’t,” and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

      “But I don’t think the little we should spend would do any good. We’ve each got a dollar, and the army wouldn’t be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintran for myself. I’ve wanted it so long,” said Jo, who was a bookworm.

      “I planned to spend mine in new music,” said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and kettle-holder.

      “I shall get a nice box of Faber’s drawing pencils; I really need them,” said Amy decidedly.