se and Fritz are to have the same
right to his services as you.'

"Marie took him into her arms at once, and made him crack some more
nuts; but she picked out all the smallest, so that he might not have to
open his mouth so terribly wide, because that was not nice for him.
Then sister Louise came, and he had to crack some nuts for her too,'
which duty he seemed very glad to perform, as he kept on smiling most
courteously.

"Meanwhile, Fritz was a little tired, after so much drill and
man[oe]uvring, so he joined his sisters, and laughed beyond measure at
the funny little fellow, who (as Fritz wanted his share of the nuts)
was passed from hand to hand, and was continually snapping his month
open and shut. Fritz gave him all the biggest and hardest nuts he could
find, but all at once there was a 'crack--crack,' and three teeth fell
out of Nutcracker's mouth, and all his lower jaw was loose and wobbly.

"'Ah! my poor darling Nutcracker,' Marie cried, and took him away from
Fritz.

"'A nice sort of chap he is!' said Fritz. 'Calls himself a nutcracker,
and can't give a decent bite--doesn't seem to know much about his
business. Hand him over here, Marie! I'll keep him biting nuts if he
drops all the rest of his teeth, and his jaw into the bargain. What's
the good of a chap like him!'

"'No, no,' said Marie, in tears; 'you shan't have him, my darling
Nutcracker; see how he's looking at me so mournfully, and showing me
his poor sore mouth. But you're a hard-hearted creature! You beat your
horses, and you've had one of your soldiers shot.'

"'Those things must be done,' said Fritz; 'and you don't understand
anything about such matters. But Nutcracker's as much mine as yours, so
hand him over!'

"Marie began to cry bitterly, and wrapped the wounded Nutcracker
quickly up in her little pocket-handkerchief. Papa and mamma came with
Drosselmeier, who took Fritz's part, to Marie's regret. But papa said,
'I have put Nutcracker in Marie's special charge, and as he seems to
have need just now of her care, she has full power over him, and nobody
else has anything to say in the matter. And I'm surprised that Fritz
should expect further service from a man wounded in the execution of
his duty. As a good soldier, he ought to know better than that.'

"Fritz was much ashamed, and, troubling himself no further as to nuts
or nutcrackers, crept off to the other side of the table, where his
hussars (having established the necessary outpost