most worthy medical man.'

The laughter grew louder, and Louise, and even Fritz, joined in it.
Marie ran into the next room, took the mouse king's seven crowns from
her little box, and handed them to her mother, saying:

"Look there, then, dear mother; those are the mouse king's seven crowns
which young Mr. Drosselmeier gave me last night as a proof that he had
got the victory.'

"Her mother gazed in amazement at the little crowns, which were made of
some very brilliant, wholly unknown metal, and worked more beautifully
than any human hands could have worked them. Dr. Stahlbaum could not
cease looking at them with admiration and astonishment either, and both
the father and the mother enjoined Marie most earnestly to tell them
where she really had got them from. But she could only repeat what she
had said before; and when her father scolded her, and accused her of
untruthfulness, she began to cry bitterly, and said:

"'Oh, dear me; what can I tell you except the truth, poor unfortunate
girl that I am!'

"At this moment the door opened, and Godpapa Drosselmeier came in,
crying:

'"Hullo! hullo! what's all this? My little Marie crying? What's all
this? what's all this?'

"Dr. Stahlbaum told him all about it, and showed him the crowns. As
soon as he had looked at them, however, he cried out:

"'Stuff and nonsense! stuff and nonsense! These are the crowns I used
to wear on my watch-chain. I gave them as a present to Marie on her
second birthday. Do you mean to tell me you don't remember?'

"None of them _did_ remember anything of the kind. But Marie, seeing
that her father and mother's faces were clear of clouds again, ran up
to her godpapa, crying:

"'You know all about the affair, Godpapa Drosselmeier; tell it to them
then. Let them know from your own lips that my Nutcracker is your
nephew, young Mr. Drosselmeier from Nuernberg, and that it was he who
gave me the crowns.' But Drosselmeier made a very angry face, and
muttered, 'Stupid stuff and nonsense!' upon which Marie's father took
her in front of him, and said, with much earnestness:

"'Now just look here, Mario; let there be an end of all this foolish
trash and absurd nonsense for once and for all; I'm not going to allow
any more of it; and if ever I hear you say again that that idiotic,
misshapen Nutcracker is your godpapa's nephew, I shall shy, not only
Nutcracker, but all your other playthings--Miss Clara not excepted--out
of the window.'

"Of cour