to the King, who was very glad to be
rid of such vile creatures. Next he asked for the hand of Hadvor,
which the King readily gave him, and being now an old man, gave the
kingdom to him as well; and so Hermod became King.

Olof married a good-looking nobleman, and that is the end of the
story.

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER

There were once upon a time five-and-twenty tin-soldiers--all
brothers, as they were made out of the same old tin spoon. Their
uniform was red and blue, and they shouldered their guns and looked
straight in front of them. The first words that they heard in this
world, when the lid of the box in which they lay was taken off, were:
'Hurrah, tin-soldiers!' This was exclaimed by a little boy, clapping
his hands; they had been given to him because it was his birthday, and
now he began setting them out on the table. Each soldier was exactly
like the other in shape, except just one, who had been made last when
the tin had run short; but there he stood as firmly on his one leg as
the others did on two, and he is the one that became famous.

There were many other playthings on the table on which they were being
set out, but the nicest of all was a pretty little castle made of
cardboard, with windows through which you could see into the rooms. In
front of the castle stood some little trees surrounding a tiny mirror
which looked like a lake. Wax swans were floating about and reflecting
themselves in it. That was all very pretty; but the most beautiful
thing was a little lady, who stood in the open doorway. She was cut
out of paper, but she had on a dress of the finest muslin, with a
scarf of narrow blue ribbon round her shoulders, fastened in the
middle with a glittering rose made of gold paper, which was as large
as her head. The little lady was stretching out both her arms, for she
was a Dancer, and was lifting up one leg so high in the air that the
Tin-soldier couldn't find it anywhere, and thought that she, too, had
only one leg.

'That's the wife for me!' he thought; 'but she is so grand, and lives
in a castle, whilst I have only a box with four-and-twenty others.
This is no place for her! But I must make her acquaintance.' Then he
stretched himself out behind a snuff-box that lay on the table; from
thence he could watch the dainty little lady, who continued to stand
on one leg without losing her balance.

When the night came all the other tin-soldiers went into their box,
and the people of t