ween her finger and thumb, and carried him into the room,
where everyone wanted to see the hero who had been found inside a
fish; but the Tin-soldier was not at all proud. They put him on the
table, and--no, but what strange things do happen in this world!--the
Tin-soldier was in the same room in which he had been before! He saw
the same children, and the same toys on the table; and there was the
same grand castle with the pretty little Dancer. She was still
standing on one leg with the other high in the air; she too was
steadfast. That touched the Tin-soldier, he was nearly going to shed
tin-tears; but that would not have been fitting for a soldier. He
looked at her, but she said nothing.

All at once one of the little boys took up the Tin-soldier, and threw
him into the stove, giving no reasons; but doubtless the little black
imp in the snuff-box was at the bottom of this too.

There the Tin-soldier lay, and felt a heat that was truly terrible;
but whether he was suffering from actual fire, or from the ardour of
his passion, he did not know. All his colour had disappeared; whether
this had happened on his travels or whether it was the result of
trouble, who can say? He looked at the little lady, she looked at him,
and he felt that he was melting; but he remained steadfast, with his
gun at his shoulder. Suddenly a door opened, the draught caught up the
little Dancer, and off she flew like a sylph to the Tin-soldier in the
stove, burst into flames--and that was the end of her! Then the
Tin-soldier melted down into a little lump, and when next morning the
maid was taking out the ashes, she found him in the shape of a heart.
There was nothing left of the little Dancer but her gilt rose, burnt
as black as a cinder.

[Illustration: And That Was the End]

BLOCKHEAD-HANS

Far away in the country lay an old manor-house where lived an old
squire who had two sons. They thought themselves so clever, that if
they had known only half of what they did know, it would have been
quite enough. They both wanted to marry the King's daughter, for she
had proclaimed that she would have for her husband the man who knew
best how to choose his words.

Both prepared for the wooing a whole week, which was the longest time
allowed them; but, after all, it was quite long enough, for they both
had preparatory knowledge, and everyone knows how useful that is. One
knew the whole Latin dictionary and also three years' issue of the
dail