."

And then he lay down at full length behind a snuff-box which was on the
table; there he could easily watch the little dainty lady, who continued
to stand upon one leg without losing her balance.

When the evening came all the other tin soldiers were put into their
box, and the people in the house went to bed. Now the toys began to play
at "visiting," and at "war," and "giving balls." The tin soldiers
rattled in their box, for they wanted to join, but could not lift the
lid. The nutcracker threw somersaults, and the pencil amused itself on
the table; there was so much noise that the canary woke up, and began to
speak too, and even in verse. The only two who did not stir from their
places were the Tin Soldier and the Dancing Lady: she stood straight up
on the point of one of her toes, and stretched out both her arms; and he
was just as enduring on his one leg; and he never turned his eyes away
from her.

Now the clock struck twelve--and, bounce! the lid flew off the
snuff-box; but there was no snuff in it, but a little black Goblin: you
see, it was a trick.

"Tin Soldier!" said the Goblin, "don't stare at things that don't
concern you."

But the Tin Soldier pretended not to hear him.

"Just you wait till to-morrow!" said the Goblin.

But when the morning came, and the children got up, the Tin Soldier was
placed in the window; and whether it was the Goblin or the draught that
did it, all at once the window flew open, and the Soldier fell head
over heels out of the third story. That was a terrible passage! He put
his leg straight up, and stuck with helmet downward and his bayonet
between the paving-stones.

The servant-maid and the little boy came down directly to look for him,
but though they almost trod upon him, they could not see him. If the
Soldier had cried out "Here I am!" they would have found him; but he did
not think it fitting to call out loudly, because he was in uniform.

Now it began to rain; the drops soon fell thicker, and at last it came
down into a complete stream. When the rain was past, two street boys
came by.

"Just look!" said one of them, "there lies a Tin Soldier. He must come
out and ride in the boat."

And they made a boat out of a newspaper, and put the Tin Soldier in the
middle of it, and so he sailed down the gutter, and the two boys ran
beside him and clapped their hands. Goodness preserve us! how the waves
rose in that gutter, and how fast the stream ran! But then it had bee