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    frightened . She wished to wake her mother , but fear prevented her from moving when she perceived the sparkling eyes of the rat-king , who leaped on the top of a little table placed beside her bed . Little girl / said the rat , * I must have your cakes and sweetmeats , or else I will gnaw Nutcracker ; ' and he disappeared .

    The next day Mary felt very poorly , but she said nothing , for fear her mamma and her sister Louisa should laugh at her . Before she went to bed , she placed her sweetmeats and cakes on the ledge of the cabinet . In the morning her father said , at breakfast time , * I don ' t know where those mice can come from ; I do believe they eat up all Mary's dainties last night . ' Mary did not regret them ; she was very happy that she had saved Nutcracker .

    On the following night she heard again the sharp voice of the ratking whispering at her ear , * Little girl , I must have all your puppets made of sugar , or else I will gnaw Nutcracker ; ' and he disappeared again . Tears rushed into the eyes of Mary ; her sugar figures were so beautiful ; she looked at Nutcracker—he wore such a mournful air ; she fancied the seven mouths of the rat-king fastening upon his throat . She kissed all the sugar figures , and put them under the cabinet . In the morning they were gone .

    On that evening Dr . Smallhorse again spoke of the mice running so much about the house at night . Our baker , ' said Frederick , laughing , ' has got an excellent sergeant at law ; shall we borrow him ? he would kill all the rats , even the son of Dame Greymouse , I know . ' 4 , and break all the glasses and china , ' said his father ; it would be better to place a trap in Mary ' s room . '

    That night poor Mary had another fatal visit ; the rat-king jumped upon her shoulder and squeaked , * I must have all your picture-books , and your dolls , and their dresses , or else I will gnaw to death thy Nutcracker 1 ' Her mother said , next morning , * There is nothing in the trap , but never mind , my love , we will catch them . '

    When Mary found herself alone by the cabinet , she cried very much , and said to the Nutcracker , * Dear Mr . Pivot , what can I , a poor little girl , do for you ? If I give my picture-books , and my dolls , and their clothes , to that wicked rat-king , not to eat you , he will only want something else , and after all will do it . Oh , what shall I do ?' * Dear Mary / murmured Nutcracker , * give not on my account your picture-books and your dolls , but procure for me a sword , and leave me to use it . *

    Where to procure a sword was now the thought of the little girl , and she went to consult Fred about it . Frederick had never ceased to grieve over the accusation which had been made against his hussars . He first asked his sister if what she had asserted was really true , and when she persisted in it , he went to the cabinet , drew out his hussars , made a most moving speech to them , on their conduct , and , finally , deprived them of their colours .

    As for the sabre , ' said he to Mary , * I can provide one . Yesterday I invalided an old colonel of cuirassiers , and he has no further use for his accoutrements . ' So the sabre was suspended to Nutcracker ' s girdle .

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    24 The Nutcracker .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1835, page 24, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2641/page/24/