she kindled a third match. again shot up the flame; and now she was sitting under a most beautiful christmas tree ,far larger, and far more prettily decked out, than the one she had seen last christmas eve through the glass doors of the rich merchant"s house. hundreds of wax-tapers lighted up the green branches, and tiny painted figures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down from the tree upon her. the child stretched out her hands towards them in delight, and in that moment the lights of the match warm quenched; still, however, the christmas candles burned higher and higher， she beheld them beaming like stars in heaven; one of them fell, the lights streaming behind it like a long, fiery tail.
“now some one is dying,” said the little girl, softly, for she had been told by her old grandmother， the only person who had ever been kind to her, and who was now dead that whenever a star falls an immortal spirit returns to the god who gave it.
she struck yet another match against the wall; it flamed up, and surrounded by its light, appeared before her that same dear grandmother, gentle and loving as always, but bright and happy as she had never looked during her lifetime.
她擦著了第三根火柴，又冒出了火焰。現在她覺得正坐在非常美麗的聖誕樹下面，比上次聖誕節透過那富商家的玻璃門看到的那株還要大、還要美。這株樹的綠枝上點燃著許許多多的蠟燭，顏色瑰麗的圖畫，就象櫥窗裏掛著的那些一樣漂亮，仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把兩隻手伸過去，火柴又熄滅了。然而聖誕樹上的燭光越升越高。她看到它們變成了明亮的星星，有一顆落下來，在天上劃出一道長長的火絲。
“現在又有一個什麽人死了。”小姑娘說。因為她的老祖母——一個唯一待她好的人，現在已經死了，曾經告訴過她，天上落下一顆星，地上就有一個靈魂回到曾賦于他生命的上帝那裏去。
她在牆上又擦了一根火柴，火光把四周照亮了。在亮光裏，親愛的和生前一樣的祖母出現了。她依然是那麽的慈愛和溫和，然而那快活和幸福的樣子卻是她生前從未有過的。