Read "The Gifts of the Child Christ" by George MacDonald online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Meantime the morning of Christmas Day grew. The light came and filled the house. The sleepers slept late, but at length they stirred. Alice awoke last -- from a troubled sleep, in which the events of the night mingled with her own lost condition and destiny. After all Polly had been kind, she thought, and got Sophy up without disturbing her.
She had been but a few minutes down, when a strange and appalling rumour made itself -- I cannot say audible, but -- somehow known through the house, and every one hurried up in horrible dismay.