folks
unloading a number of waggons which were drawn up in the market-place.
What they were unloading from the waggons looked like packages of
coloured paper, and tablets of chocolate.

"'This is Bonbonville,' Nutcracker said. 'An embassy has just arrived
from Paperland and the King of Chocolate. These poor Bonbonville people
have been vexatiously threatened lately by the Fly-Admiral's forces, so
they are covering their houses over with their presents from Paperland,
and constructing fortifications with the fine pieces of workmanship
which the Chocolate-King has sent them. But oh! dearest Miss Stahlbaum,
we are not going to restrict ourselves to seeing the small towns and
villages of this country. Let us be off to the metropolis.'

"He stepped quickly onwards, and Marie followed him, all expectation.
Soon a beautiful rosy vapour began to rise, suffusing everything with a
soft splendour. She saw that this was reflected from a rose-red,
shining water, which went plashing and rushing away in front of them in
wavelets of roseate silver. And on this delightful water, which kept
broadening and broadening out wider and wider, like a great lake, the
loveliest swans were floating, white as silver, with collars of gold.
And, as if vieing with each other, they were singing the most beautiful
songs, at which little fish, glittering like diamonds, danced up and
down in the rosy ripples.

"'Oh!' cried Marie, in the greatest delight, 'this must be the lake
which Godpapa Drosselmeier was once going to make for me, and I am the
girl who is to play with the swans.'

"Nutcracker gave a sneering sort of laugh, such as she had never seen
in him before, and said:

"'My uncle could never make a thing of this kind. You would be much
more likely to do it yourself. But don't let us bother about that.
Rather let us go sailing over the water, Lake Rosa here, to the
metropolis.'

"THE METROPOLIS.

"Nutcracker clapped his little hands again, and the waves of Lake Rosa
began to sound louder and to plash higher, and Marie became aware of a
sort of car approaching from the distance, made wholly of glittering
precious stones of every colour, and drawn by two dolphins with scales
of gold. Twelve of the dearest little negro boys, with head-dresses and
doublets made of humming-birds' feathers woven together, jumped to
land, and carried first Marie and then Nutcracker, gently gliding
above the water, into the car, whic