performed his task in discovering the means to restore the princess to her beauty, and thus by the terms of the royal decree had secured his safety. The king said that was all trash, stupid stuff and nonsense, but resolved at last, that the watchmaker should leave the court instantly, accompanied by the royal astronomer, and never return without the nut Crackatuck in his pocket. By the intercession of the queen, he consented that the nutcracker might be summoned by a notice in all the home and foreign newspapers and journals.
Here the Counsellor broke off again, and promised to narrate the rest on the following evening.
CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE HARD NUT.
The next evening as soon as the candles were lighted, Godfather Drosselmeier appeared, and continued his story as follows:
