58 THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER.

The judge then entered the room,
and conversed for a long time
with the surgeon; but of all that
they said Mary could only catch:
these words—“ It is delirium.”
Mary saw immediately that her
story was not believed, but that it
was looked upon as a fable; and
she did not say any more upon the
subject,-but allowed those around
her to have their own way. For
she was anxious to get up as soon as possible and pay a visit
to the poor Nut-cracker. She, however, knew that he had
escaped safe and sound from the battle; and that was all she
cared about.for the present.

Nevertheless Mary was very restless. She could not
play, on account of her wounded arm; and when she tried
to read or look over her picture-books, everything swam so
before her eyes, that she was obliged to give up the task.
The time hung very heavily upon her hands; and she
looked forward with impatience to the evening, because
her mamma would then come and sit by her, and tell her
pleasant stories.

One evening, the judge’s wife had just ended the pretty
tale of ‘* Prince Facardin,” when the door opened, and God-
father Drosselmayer thrust in his head, saying, ‘I must see
with my own eyes how the little invalid gets on.”

But when Mary perceived Godfather Drosselmayer with
his glass wig, his black patch, and his drab frock coat, the
remembrance of the night when the Nut-cracker lost the
famous battle against the mice, returned so forcibly to her
mind, that she could not prevent herself from crying out,
‘OQ Godpapa Drosselmayer, you were really very ugly! I
saw you quite plainly, when you were astride upon the
clock, and when you covered it with your wings to prevent
it from striking, because it would have frightened away the