THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER, 19

grand master of the ceremomes to biing the strangers into
his presence.

The grand master of the ceremonies then stated that
the strangers were of a most villanous appearance, and could
not possibly be worse dressed. But the king answered that
it was wrong to judge the heart by the countenance, and the
gown did not make the parson.

9 Thereupon, the grand master of
the ceremonies, having perceived
the correctness of these observations,
bowed respectfully and proceeded to
fetch the mechanician and the as-
trologer.

The king was the same as ever,
and they immediately recognised
him; but the travellers were so
= changed, especially poor Elias Dros-
selmayer, that they were obliged to

= - declare who they were.

‘Upon-seeing the two travellers return of their own ac-
cord, the king gave a sign of joy, for he felt well convinced
that they would not have come back if they had not found the
Crackatook nut. But he was speedily undeceived ; and the
mechanician, throwing himself at his feet, confessed that, in
spite of the most earnest and constant search, his friend and
himself had returned empty-handed.

The king, as we have said, although of a passionate dis-
position, was an excellent man at bottom; he was touched
by the punctuality with which Christian Elas Drosselmayer
had kept his word; and he changed the sentence of death,
long before pronounced against him, into imprisonment for
life. As for the astrologer, he contented himself by banish-
ing that great sage.

But as three days were still remaining of the period of
fourteen years and nine months’ delay, granted by the king,
Master Drosselmayer, who was deeply attached to his coun-

B