THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER. 25

some of the gilding of the nut; and on the shell he had found
the word ‘‘ CRACKATOOK” engraven in Chinese characters.

All doubts were now cleared up; and the three indivi-
duals danced for joy, the real Crackatook nut being
actually in their possession,

PART IV.

HOW, AFTER HAVING FOUND THE CRACKATOOK NUT, THE MECHANICIAN
AND THE ASTROLOGER FIND THE YOUNG MAN WHO IS TO CRACK IT,

CurisTIaAn EL1As DROSSELMAYER was in such a hurry to
announce the good news to the king, that he was anxious to
return by the mail that very moment; but Christian
Zecharias begged him to stay at least until his son should
come in, The mechanician yielded the more easily to this
request, because he had not seen his nephew for fifteen years,
and. hecatise, on recalling the ideas of the past, he remembered
that at the time when he quitted
Nuremberg, he had leftthesaidnephew
a fine fat romping fellow of only three
and a half, but of whom he (the uncle)
was doatingly fond.

While he was thinking of these things,
a handsome young man of between
eighteen and nineteen entered the
shop of Christopher Zacharias, whom
he saluted by the name of ‘ Father.”
Then Christopher Zacharias, having
embraced him, presented him to
Christian Elias, saying to the young
man, ‘And now embrace your un-
cle.”

The young man hesitated; for Uncle
Droeatlinegae with his frock-coat in rags, his bald head, and
the plaster upon his eye, did not seem a very inviting