s presence. She had been holding Nutcracker, wrapped in the
handkerchief, carefully in her arms all this time, and she now laid him
softly down on the table, gently unrolled the handkerchief, and
examined his wounds.

"Nutcracker was very pale, but at the same time he was smiling with a
melancholy and pathetic kindliness which went straight to Marie's
heart.

"Oh, my darling little Nutcracker!' said she, very softly, 'don't you
be vexed because brother Fritz has hurt you so: he didn't mean it, you
know; he's only a little bit hardened with his soldiering and that, but
he's a good, nice boy, I can assure you: and I'll take the greatest
care of you, and nurse you, till you're quite, quite better and happy
again. And your teeth shall be put in again for you, and your shoulder
set right; Godpapa Drosselmeier will see to that; he knows how to do
things of the kind----'

"Marie could not finish what she was going to say, because at the
mention of Godpapa Drosselmeier, friend Nutcracker made a most
horrible, ugly face. A sort of green sparkle of much sharpness seemed
to dart out of his eyes. This was only for an instant, however; and
just as Marie was going to be terribly frightened, she found that she
was looking at the very same nice, kindly face, with the pathetic smile
which she had seen before, and she saw plainly that it was nothing but
some draught of air making the lamp flicker that had seemed to produce
the change.

"'Well!' she said, 'I certainly am a silly girl to be so easily
frightened, and think that a wooden doll could make faces at me! But
I'm too fond, really, of Nutcracker, because he's so funny, and so kind
and nice; and so he must be taken the greatest care of, and properly
nursed till he's quite well.'

"With which she took him in her arms again, approached the cupboard,
and kneeling down beside it, said to her new doll:

"I'm going to ask a favour of you, Miss Clara--that you will give up
your bed to this poor sick, wounded Nutcracker, and make yourself as
comfortable as you can on the sofa here. Remember that you're quite
well and strong yourself, or you wouldn't have such fat, red cheeks,
and that there are very few dolls indeed who have as comfortable a sofa
as this to lie upon.'

"Miss Clara, in her Christmas full dress, looked very grand and
disdainful, and said not so much as 'Muck!'

"Very well,' said Marie, 'why should I make such a fuss, and stand on
any ceremony?'--took the bed and mo