70 THE HISTORY OF A‘ NUT-CRACKER.

But Mary, while she dressed herself; persisted’ in main-
taining that she had really seen all'she spoke of. Her mother
accordingly went to the cupboard and took out the Nut-
cracker, who, according to custom, was upori' the third shelf.
Bringing it to her daughter, she said, ‘‘ How can’ you suppose,
silly child, that’ this puppet, which is made’ of wood and
cloth, can be alive, or move, or think ?”

“But, my dear mamma,” said Mary, perpetually, “I am
well aware that the Nut-cracker is none other than young
Mr. Drosselmayer, the nephew of godpapa.”

At that moment Mary heard a loud shout of laughter
behind her.

It was the judge, Fritz, and
Miss Trudchen, who made them-
selves merry at her expense.

“ Ah!” cried Mary, ‘“ how
can you laugh at me, dear papa,
and at my poor Nut-cracker ?
He spoke very respectfully of
you, nevertheless, when we went
into the Palace of Sweet Cake,
and he introduced me to his sisters.”

The shouts of laughter redoubled to such an extent that
Mary began to see the necessity of giving some proof of the
truth of what she said, for fear of being treated as a sim-
pleton. She therefore went into the adjoming room and
brought back a little box im which she had carefully placed
the seven crowns of the king of the mice.

‘Here, mamma,” she said, ‘ are the seven crowns of the
king of the mice, which the Nut-cracker gave me last night
as a proof of his victory.”

The judge’s wife, full of surprise, took the seven little
crowns, which were made of an unknown but very brilliant
metal, and were carved with a delicacy of which human hands
were incapable. The judge himself could not take his eyes
off them, and considered them to be so precious, that, in