62 THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER.

The Nut-cracker now conducted Mary through 4 little
grove, which was perhaps even prettier than the Christmas
Forest, so brilliantly did each tree shine, and so sweetly did
they all smell with their own peculiar essence. But what
was most remarkable was the quantity of fruits hanging to
the branches, those fruits being not only of singular colour
and transparency—some yellow as the topaz, others red like ~
the ruby—but also of a wondrous perfume.

“We are now in the Wood of Preserved Fruits,” said
the Nut-cracker, ‘‘ and beyond that boundary is the capital.”

And, as Mary thrust aside the last branches, she was
stupified at beholding the extent, the magnificence, and the
novel appearance of the city which rose before her upon a
mound of flowers. Not only did the walls and steeples
glitter with the most splendid colours, but, in respect to the
shape of the buildings, it was impossible to see any so beau-
tiful upon the earth. The fortifications and the gates were
built of candied fruits, which shone in the sun with their
own gay colours, all rendered more brilliant still by the
crystallised sugar that covered them. At the principal gate,
which was the one by which they entered, silver soldiers
presented arms to them, and a little man, clad in a dressing-
gown of gold brocade, threw
himself into the Nut-cracker’s
arms, crying, ‘Oh! dear
prince, have you come at
length ? Welcome—wel-
come to the City of Candied
Fruits!”

Mary was somewhat as-
tonished at the great title
given to the Nut-cracker ;
but she was soon drawn from
her surprise by the noise
of an immense quantity of voices all chattering at the
same time; so that she asked the Nut-cracker if there