Nutcracker who wrote the work. The Nutcracker - the story of the creation of a brilliant ballet

December 24, home of the medical adviser Stahlbaum. Everyone is preparing for Christmas, and the children - Fritz and Marie - are guessing what this time the inventor and craftsman godfather, senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, who often repaired clocks in the Stahlbaum house, will give them as a gift. Marie dreamed of a garden and a lake with swans, and Fritz said that he liked the gifts of his parents with which to play (the godfather's toys were usually kept away from the children so that they would not break), and the godfather could not make a whole garden.

In the evening, the children were let in to a beautiful Christmas tree, near and on which there were gifts: new dolls, dresses, hussars, etc. The godfather made a wonderful castle, but the dolls dancing in it performed the same movements, and it was impossible to get inside the castle, therefore the miracle of technology quickly got tired of the children - only the mother became interested in the complex mechanism. When all the gifts were taken apart, Marie saw the Nutcracker. The ugly outwardly doll seemed very cute to the girl. Fritz quickly broke a couple of Nutcracker's teeth, trying to crack hard nuts, and Marie began to patronize the toy. At night, the children put the toys in a glass cabinet. Marie lingered at the closet, placing her ward with all the conveniences, and became a participant in the battle between the seven-headed mouse king and the army of dolls led by the Nutcracker. The dolls surrendered under the onslaught of mice, and when the mouse king had already crept up to the Nutcracker, Marie threw her shoe at him...

The girl woke up in bed with her elbow cut by the broken glass of the closet. No one believed her story about the night incident. The godfather brought the repaired Nutcracker and told a fairy tale about a hard nut: the beautiful princess Pirlipat was born to the king and queen, but Queen Myshilda, avenging her relatives killed by the mousetraps of the court watchmaker Drosselmeyer (they ate the fat intended for royal sausages), turned the beauty into a freak. Only the cracking of nuts could soothe her now. Drosselmeyer in fear death penalty with the help of a court astrologer, he calculated the horoscope of the princess - the Krakatuk nut, split by a young man with a special method, will help restore her beauty. The king sent Drosselmeyer and the astrologer in search of salvation; both the walnut and the young man (the watchmaker's nephew) were found with Drosselmeyer's brother in his hometown. Many princes broke their teeth on Krakatuk, and when the king promised to marry his daughter to a savior, a nephew stepped forward. He cracked the nut and the princess, having eaten it, became a beauty, but the young man could not perform the whole ritual, because Myshilda threw herself at his feet ... The mouse died, but the guy turned into a Nutcracker. The king expelled Drosselmeier, his nephew and astrologer. However, the latter predicted that the Nutcracker would be a prince and the ugliness would disappear if he defeated the mouse king and a beautiful girl fell in love with him.

A week later, Marie recovered and began to reproach Drosselmeyer for not helping the Nutcracker. He replied that only she could help, because she rules the kingdom of light. The Mouse King got into the habit of extorting Marie for her sweets in return for the safety of the Nutcracker. Parents were alarmed by the fact that the mice wound up. When he demanded her books and dress, she took the Nutcracker in her arms and sobbed - she is ready to give everything, but when there is nothing left, the mouse king will want to kill her herself. The Nutcracker came to life and promised to take care of everything if he got a saber - Fritz helped with this, having recently dismissed the colonel (and punished the hussars for cowardice during the battle). At night, the Nutcracker came to Marie with a bloodied saber, a candle and 7 golden crowns. Having given the trophies to the girl, he led her to his kingdom - the Land of Fairy Tales, where they got through their father's fox coat. Helping the Nutcracker sisters with the housework, offering to crush caramel in a golden mortar, Marie suddenly woke up in her bed.

Of course, none of the adults believed her story. About the crowns, Drosselmeier said that this was his gift to Marie for her second birthday and refused to recognize the Nutcracker as his nephew (the toy stood in its place in the closet). Dad threatened to throw out all the dolls, and Marie did not dare to stutter about her story. But one day, Drosselmeier's nephew appeared on the threshold of their house, who privately confessed to Marie that he had ceased to be the Nutcracker, and made an offer to share the crown and throne of the Marzipan Castle with him. They say she is still the queen there.

For several generations, for many children and adults, the dream to get to the ballet "The Nutcracker" has not changed. If you listen carefully to this word - "The Nutcracker" - something very close and dear pops up before each of us. This kind and beloved friend came to visit us more than once. But everyone has their own Nutcracker.

Someone remembers the wonderful, and in 2004 another, Russian-German, was released, also based on the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann and using music from the ballet "The Nutcracker" by P.I. Tchaikovsky.

lovers feature films could see the New Year's film in 3D format "The Nutcracker and the Rat King", shot by Andrei Konchalovsky.

Someone remembers and loves this hero simply from the fairy tale of the same name by Ernst Hoffmann. And, in the end, there are those who were lucky enough to see the Nutcracker ballet live on stage, with which they fell in love with all their heart after the first viewing. At first they visited it as a child with their parents, and now with pleasure, on their own, time after time they come to see The Nutcracker with their children.

This is a fairy tale with magnificent music by the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker has become a symbol of the New Year holiday, not only because the story itself takes place on Christmas Day, but also because it contains a lot of magic, miraculous transformations and mysterious adventures. That is why, according to tradition, many theaters add the Nutcracker ballet to their repertoire on New Year's days.

This tale by Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was published in 1816. Its main characters are a girl named Marichen (in different editions the girl is called Clara or Marie) Stahlbaum and a strange toy - nutcrackers in the shape of a soldier, the same legendary Nutcracker, which was presented to Marichen by her godfather, the storyteller Drosselmeyer. Only he knew that the Nutcracker was not an ugly toy, but a handsome prince, who was bewitched by the evil Queen Myshilda.

On Christmas night, fairy-tale transformations begin, thanks to which the Nutcracker comes to life and fights with mice. In this battle, the revived Marihen toys also help him. And here is the happy ending - the Nutcracker kills the Mouse King, thereby dispelling the evil spell. And Marihen, who has fallen in love with an ugly toy, sees a disenchanted prince in front of her. He invites her to his country, where he declares Marihen his princess.

The ballet The Nutcracker was first shown in St. Petersburg in December 1892, on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The staging of this magical fairy tale, told at Christmas, has become a tradition on New Year's Eve. Everyone, without exception, likes this performance, and both children and adults attend it with pleasure.

The play "The Nutcracker", shown for the first time in December 1892, immediately won the hearts of the audience. After all, famous artists were involved in this production. In addition, it was then that the tradition arose to distribute small parts in ballet among students of choreographic schools. This tradition has been preserved to this day, and not only in the Mariinsky Theater. That is why among those who attend the performance there are always friends and parents of young debutants.

We can fully explain the success of this tale. After all, this is not just a fairy tale. She teaches us selflessness and honor, the ability to stand up for ourselves, fight injustice and evil, even if it is stronger than you and magical powers are on its side. Not afraid to lose this battle, boldly rushing into battle - only in this way will we be able to win. The heroic Nutcracker teaches children this. This immortal story, told to us by Ernst Amadeus Hoffmann and carefully transferred to the musical dimension by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, reminds adults that not everything in the world can be bought. There are also real genuine feelings!

The history of the creation of the ballet

The libretto for the ballet was created by Marius Petipa based on Ernst Hoffmann's fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (1816; the libretto was based on the arrangement of the fairy tale made in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas père), but the Theatrical Encyclopedia erroneously names Dumas the son as the author of the arrangement.

The premiere of the ballet took place on December 6 (18), 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on the same evening as the opera Iolanta. The roles of Clara and Fritz were played by children, students of the St. Petersburg Imperial theater school, which both completed only a few years later in 1899. The part of Clara was performed by Stanislava Belinskaya, Fritz - by Vasily Stukolkin. Other performers: The Nutcracker - S. Legat, the Dragee fairy - A. Del-Era, Prince Whooping cough - P. Gerdt, Drosselmeyer - T. Stukolkin, niece Marianna - L. Rubtsova; choreographer L. Ivanov, conductor R. Drigo, artists M. Bocharov and K. Ivanov, costumes - I. Vsevolozhsky and E. Ponomarev.

Characters:

Some interesting facts related to this ballet:

• a total of 57 people work behind the scenes - to install the scenery and change costumes during the entire performance;
• during each performance, 150 different costumes are shown on stage;
• 600 to 700 lighting fixtures are used to illuminate the performance;
• the tutu of the performer Fairy Dragee contains 7 layers of tulle;
• the tree on the stage has a height of 16.4 meters and weighs 1 ton;
• Rosinka's costume is decorated with 65 "dew" crystals;
• the orchestra consists of 62 musicians;
• the music of the "coffee dance" is based on a Georgian lullaby melody;
• during the performance in the dance of snowflakes, about 20 kg of confetti is poured onto the stage;
• the orchestra consists of 62 musicians.

The Nutcracker ballet is one of the most popular and commercially successful productions in the world. A fairy tale about the victory of love and light over the forces of evil and darkness under New Year millions of people are watching. Of course, the tradition of dressing up and going to the theater with the whole family to admire again good fairy tale about Masha and the Nutcracker and listen to great music, especially strong in the homeland of the author of the music and the very first production - here, in Russia.

On New Year's Eve and on New Year's Eve itself, many families have a long-standing tradition of congratulating each other in the magnificent festive decoration of the theater, to the immortal and enchanting music of Tchaikovsky.

The musical fabric of the ballet is incredibly bright and imaginative: expressiveness is not inferior to pictorialism, very subtly and accurately conveying the development of the plot and the characters of the characters of a wonderful fairy tale with melodic means. How the wonderful ballet was created, what performances are considered the most successful - and curious facts about The Nutcracker.

The history of the creation of the ballet

In 1890, P. I. Tchaikovsky was asked to write a one-act opera and ballet - it was assumed that both works would be performed in one evening. The composer began to work together with the choreographer Marius Petipa - they constantly discussed the smallest details of the future production. Pyotr Ilyich continued to work on music even while traveling on a steamer to the USA - he took part in the opening of the famous Carnegie Hall.

By February 1892, the performance was completely finished - the Russian Musical Society very favorably accepted the premiere of the suite from The Nutcracker, and the first production on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater took place in December of the same year.

The literary basis of the plot

The original source is Hoffmann's fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", published in 1861. According to her, the girl Marichen Stahlbaum receives as a gift a rather ugly doll - tongs for cracking nuts. At that time in Germany, it was believed that nutcrackers brought good luck to the house, so giving them was quite common.

At night, the Nutcracker comes to life and fights the hordes of mice. Godfather Drosselmeyer told the girl a mysterious story in the morning about his nephew, who was bewitched by the cruel Mouse King. Then Marihen and her dolls Clara and the Nutcracker are again attacked by mice - after defeating them, they together go to a magical kingdom, where the girl becomes a real princess.

The fairy tale was translated into French by Emile Labedolliere, and then the creator of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, worked on the artistic adaptation and coloring of the translation. It was his version that was taken as the basis for working on the ballet.

Performance at the Mariinsky Theater

The Nutcracker and the opera Iolanta were shown before the New Year at the Mariinsky Theatre, with Vsevolozhsky doing the costumes and R. Drigo conducting the productions. The public liked the opera more, and critics generally accepted the premiere rather coolly. Since then, these two works have never been put in the same program.

Nevertheless, the production remained in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater for another three decades - and pretty soon the airy, light and melodic performance became very popular with the public, and the tradition of giving minor roles students of specialized institutions remained from the time of the premiere of the ballet and has survived to this day.

The Nutcracker at the Bolshoi Theater

The Bolshoi staged the ballet 27 years after the Mariinsky - already in a country destroyed by revolution and war - but even then the production was done on a grand scale. In the first version of 1919, the scene was framed as a huge table on which stood a coffee service, and dancers fluttered out of it as the story unfolded. The scenery was drawn by the artist Konstantin Korovin, the choreography was then set by Alexander Gorsky.

The Moscow version of the ballet had the loudest success - it was "The Nutcracker" staged by Yuri Grigorovich that triumphantly traveled around the world - since 1966 this ballet has not left the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater.

The Nutcracker on the World Stage

The ballet has been successfully staged in other countries for more than a century - costumes and choreography are different in different productions, but still it remains a festive and magical The Nutcracker. One of the brightest and most noticeable versions is from choreographer George Balanchine. The audience in New York saw it for the first time in 1954, and since then the number of fans of this production has only been growing.

The music of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s ballet was also used to create full-length cartoons of magical beauty: in 1940, the Walt Disney Studio released the film “Fantasy”, and Boris Stepantsev created animated film According to Hoffmann's tale, many generations of Soviet children grew up on it.

The first performance of the ballet at the Mariinsky Theater impressed the audience primarily with the power of the orchestra. The celesta instrument attracted particular attention.

The dance “Coffee” is based on an ancient Georgian folk lullaby, and during the mesmerizing dance of snowflakes, confetti slowly falls onto the stage - its total mass is about 20 kg.

Approximately 150 different costumes are changed during the entire performance, and about 60 people must be constantly behind the scenes to change equipment, apply makeup and change the outfits of the dancers.

Dancer Frank Russell Galey became the oldest performer of the role of the Nutcracker - at the time of his performance he was 74 years and 101 days old, which is an absolute record for an acting ballet soloist in history.

The famous blonde prankster from Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin, was also the Nutcracker - he played two roles in a Hollywood ballet film at once, in addition to the role of a wooden doll, he had a chance to play Drosselmeyer's nephew in the film adaptation of the stage version of Balanchine.

Conductor Stephen Richman managed to persuade the famous jazzman Duke Ellington to do the incredible - to release his own original interpretation of the ballet music. A double disc was released in 1960 and was called The Nutcracker Suites. In the first part, you can hear the traditional suite, while in the second, Ellington, along with his jazz colleagues, perform author's arrangements. The key role in them is assigned to the clarinet, trumpet, saxophone and piano. Despite the unexpected sound, the suite has not lost any of its festivity, lightness and charm.

Hoffmann is a famous storyteller whose name is familiar to both children and adults. Everyone remembers who wrote The Nutcracker. Many understand that Hoffmann was not just a writer, but a real magician. Well, how can an ordinary person create such wonderful stories from the void?

The birth of a writer

It is generally accepted that wizards are born where they themselves wish. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (as his name sounded at the beginning of his life) was born in beautiful city called Koenigsberg. On that day, the church honored St. John Chrysostom. The father of the future writer was a lawyer.

Hobbies of young Hoffmann

From an early age, Ernst fell in love with music, it was his outlet. Later, he even changed his name, and from Wilhelm turned into Amadeus (that was the name of Mozart). The boy played the organ, violin, piano, wrote poetry, was fond of painting and singing. When he grew up, his parents left him no choice, and the guy had to continue the family tradition - to become an official.

Study and work

Ernst obeyed his father, studied at the university and worked for a long time in various judicial departments. He couldn’t settle down anywhere: he traveled endlessly around Polish and Prussian cities, sneezed in dusty document storages, dozed at court hearings and depicted caricatures on his colleagues in the margins. important papers. At that time, he could not even dream that one day he would become famous, and everyone would know who wrote The Nutcracker.

Berlin and Bamberg

Repeatedly, the unlucky lawyer tried to quit his job, but to no avail. Once he went to the capital of Germany to study painting and music there, but did not earn a penny there. Then he went to a small town called Bamberg, where he worked as a conductor, composer, decorator, theater director, wrote essays and reviews for a newspaper about music, tutored and even traded pianos and sheet music. However, neither big money, the author of the fairy tale "The Nutcracker" never received fame.

Dresden and Leipzig, the creation of the "Golden Pot"

Once Hoffmann realized that he could no longer stay in Bamberg, and went to Dresden, from where he soon followed to Leipzig, almost died from a bomb explosion during one of the final Napoleonic battles, and then ...

Probably, this can be called a favor of fate or help, but one fine day Ernst took a pen, dipped it in ink and ... Suddenly, crystal bells rang, emerald snakes stirred on the tree and the work "Golden Pot" was created. It was 1814.

"Fantasy in the manner of Callot"

Hoffmann finally realized that his destiny was in literature, the gates of an amazing and magical country opened before him. However, it is worth noting that he wrote before, for example, in 1809, "Cavalier Gluck" was created. Soon, entire notebooks were filled with fairy tales, and then they were included in the book "Fantasy in the manner of Callot." Many people liked the works, and Hoffmann immediately gained fame. And even now, if you ask modern child who wrote The Nutcracker, he is likely to answer correctly.

Great Mystery

Hoffmann said that he, like a child born on Sunday, notices what they do not see ordinary people. The stories and fairy tales of the author could be funny and frightening, kind and terrible, but the mystical in them appeared unexpectedly, out of the blue, from the simplest things, sometimes as if from thin air. This was great mystery, which the writer comprehended first. Gradually, Hoffmann became more and more famous, but this did not add money to him. Therefore, the storyteller again had to become an adviser to justice, this time in

Creation of famous works

The author of The Nutcracker called this city a human desert, he was very uncomfortable here. However, it was in Berlin that almost all of its famous works. These are “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, “Night Stories” (they are breathtaking), “Little Tsakhes”, “Worldly Views of Murr the Cat”, “Princess Brambilla” and others. Over time, Hoffmann had friends with the same rich inner world and developed imagination as he himself. They often had serious and funny conversations about psychology, about art, and about many other things. And it was on the basis of these conversations that the four volumes of The Serapion Brothers were created. By opening any of these books, you can find out who wrote the "Nutcracker" included in one of them. The author's name is on the first page.

Tragic event, the creation of the "Lord of the Fleas"

Hoffmann had many new ideas and ideas, the service did not take very much time, and everything would have turned out well if not for one tragic incident. The writer once witnessed how they wanted to put an innocent man in jail, and he stood up for this man. But the police director named von Kamptz was infuriated by this act. Moreover, the brave author of The Nutcracker portrayed this unjust man in the work "Lord of the Fleas", which was written in 1822. He gave him the surname Knarrpanty and described how he would first detain people and then hang suitable offenses on them. Von Kamptz was simply furious and turned to the king with a request to destroy the manuscript of this story. So a lawsuit was initiated, and only the help of friends and a serious illness helped the writer to avoid unpleasant consequences.

End of the road

Hoffmann lost the ability to move, but to the end he believed in recovery. At the end of his life, the story "The Corner Window" was created - the last gift to the writer's admirers. But the vast majority of people remember him thanks to the famous Christmas tale that won many hearts. By the way, many children learn about who the author of The Nutcracker is at school.

The most famous work

Separately, it should be said about the work "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", included in the book "Serapion Brothers". This tale is best read at Christmas, as the action takes place at this time. Hoffmann was inspired to create this masterpiece by the children of his friend Julius Hitzig, whom he met in the capital of Poland. He awarded the characters of his work with their names and some personal qualities. When the fairy tale was ready, the author himself read it to the children. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is a great work, they thought.

Marie Hitzig, who in the fairy tale bears the surname Stahlbaum, unfortunately died early. And her brother named Fritz, who gave commands to tin soldiers in The Nutcracker, studied to be an architect and became director of the Academy of Arts, located in the capital of Germany.

We are just puppets...

Have you ever wondered why the main character of the work was a toy? It's just that the writer, who for some time was fond of the theater, was close to puppets and puppets. His friend said that Hoffmann had a whole closet full of toys. The writer believed that people are just puppets, and Fate itself pulls the strings, far from being always favorable to us. He often repeated that everything would be as the gods pleased.

So you remembered who wrote the fairy tale "The Nutcracker", which your parents probably read to you.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is one of the famous fairy tales written by Hoffmann.

The plot of the tale was born in his communication with the children of his friend Hitzig. He was always a welcome guest in this family, and the children were waiting for his delightful gifts, fairy tales, toys that he made with his own hands. Like the crafty godfather Drosselmeyer, Hoffmann made a skillful model of the castle for his little friends. He captured the names of the children in The Nutcracker. Marie Stahlbaum, a tender girl with a brave and loving heart, who managed to restore the Nutcracker to his real appearance, is the namesake of Hitzig's daughter, who did not live long. But her brother Fritz, the valiant commander of the toy soldiers in the fairy tale, grew up, became an architect, and then even took over as president of the Berlin Academy of Arts...

But this is only one of the transformations and miracles in which life is so rich and which the great romantic Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann saw and felt in everything.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

CHRISTMAS TREE

On the twenty-fourth of December, the children of the medical adviser Stahlbaum were not allowed to enter the entrance room all day, and they were not allowed at all into the drawing room adjacent to it. In the bedroom, huddled together, Fritz and Marie were sitting in a corner. It was already completely dark, and they were very frightened, because the lamps were not brought into the room, as it was supposed to be on Christmas Eve. Fritz, in a mysterious whisper, told his sister (she had just turned seven years old) that from the very morning in the locked rooms something was rustling, noisy and softly tapping. And recently a little dark man darted through the hallway with a large box under his arm; but Fritz probably knows that this is their godfather, Drosselmeyer. Then Marie clapped her hands for joy and exclaimed:

“Ah, did our godfather make something for us this time?”

The senior councilor of the court, Drosselmeyer, was not distinguished by his beauty: he was a small, lean man with a wrinkled face, with a large black plaster instead of his right eye, and completely bald, which is why he wore a beautiful white wig; and this wig was made of glass, and, moreover, extremely skillfully. The godfather himself was a great artisan, he even knew a lot about watches and even knew how to make them. Therefore, when the Stahlbaums began to be capricious and some clock stopped singing, the godfather Drosselmeyer always came, took off his glass wig, pulled off his yellow frock coat, tied a blue apron and poked the watch with prickly instruments, so that little Marie was very sorry for them; but he did no harm to the clock, on the contrary, it came to life again and immediately began to merrily tick-tick, ring and sing, and everyone was very happy about this. And every time the godfather had something entertaining for the children in his pocket: now a little man, rolling his eyes and shuffling his foot, so that you cannot look at him without laughing, then a box from which a bird jumps out, then some other little thing. And for Christmas, he always made a beautiful, intricate toy, on which he worked hard. Therefore, the parents immediately carefully removed his gift.

“Ah, our godfather made something for us this time!” Marie exclaimed.

Fritz decided that this year it will certainly be a fortress, and in it very pretty well-dressed soldiers will march and throw out articles, and then other soldiers will appear and go on the attack, but those soldiers who are in the fortress will bravely fire their cannons at them, and noise and roar will rise.

“No, no,” Fritz Marie interrupted, “my godfather told me about a beautiful garden. There is a large lake there, wonderfully beautiful swans with golden ribbons around their necks swim on it and sing beautiful songs. Then a girl will come out of the garden, go to the lake, lure the swans and feed them with sweet marzipan...

“Swans don’t eat marzipan,” Fritz interrupted her not very politely, “and a godfather wouldn’t make a whole garden.” And what use are his toys to us? We take them right away. No, I like my father's and mother's gifts much more: they remain with us, we dispose of them ourselves.

And so the children began to wonder what their parents would give them. Marie said that Mamselle Trudchen (her big doll) had completely deteriorated: she had become so clumsy, she fell to the floor every now and then, so that now her whole face was covered with nasty marks, and there was no point in driving her in a clean dress. No matter how much you tell her, nothing helps. And then, mother smiled when Marie so admired Greta's umbrella. Fritz, on the other hand, assured that he did not have enough bay horse in the court stable, and there was not enough cavalry in the troops. Papa knows this well.

So, the children knew perfectly well that their parents had bought them all sorts of wonderful gifts and were now placing them on the table; but at the same time they had no doubt that the kind infant Christ shone with his gentle and meek eyes, and that Christmas gifts, as if touched by his gracious hand, bring more joy than all others. The older sister Louise reminded the children about this, who endlessly whispered about the expected gifts, adding that the infant Christ always directs the hand of parents, and children are given something that gives them true joy and pleasure; and he knows about this much better than the children themselves, who, therefore, should not think about anything or guess, but calmly and obediently wait for what they will be presented with. Sister Marie became thoughtful, and Fritz muttered under his breath: “Still, I would like a bay horse and hussars.”

It got completely dark. Fritz and Marie sat tightly pressed against each other, and did not dare to utter a word; it seemed to them that quiet wings were flying over them and beautiful music was heard from afar. A light beam slid along the wall, then the children realized that the infant Christ had flown away on shining clouds to other happy children. And at the same moment a thin silver bell sounded: “Ding-ding-ding-ding! “The doors swung open, and the Christmas tree shone with such brilliance that the children with a loud cry: “Ax, ax! “- froze on the threshold. But dad and mom came to the door, took the children by the hands and said:

“Come, come, dear children, look what the Christ Child has given you!”

PRESENT

I am addressing you directly, benevolent reader or listener - Fritz, Theodor, Ernst, whatever your name is - and I ask you to imagine as vividly as possible a Christmas table, all crammed with wonderful colorful gifts that you received this Christmas , then it will not be difficult for you to understand that the children, stupefied with delight, froze in place and looked at everything with shining eyes. Only a minute later, Marie took a deep breath and exclaimed:

Oh, how wonderful, oh, how wonderful!

And Fritz jumped high several times, what was great master. Surely, the children have been kind and obedient all year, because they have never received such wonderful, beautiful gifts as today.

A large Christmas tree in the middle of the room was hung with golden and silver apples, and on all branches, like flowers or buds, grew sugared nuts, colorful candies, and all sorts of sweets in general. But most of all, hundreds of small candles adorned the wonderful tree, which, like stars, sparkled in dense greenery, and the tree, flooded with lights and illuminating everything around, beckoned to pick the flowers and fruits growing on it. Everything around the tree was full of color and shone. And what was not there! I don't know who can describe it! .. Marie saw elegant dolls, pretty toy dishes, but most of all she was pleased with her silk dress, skillfully trimmed with colored ribbons and hanging so that Marie could admire it from all sides; she admired him to her heart's content, repeating over and over:

“Oh, what a beautiful, what a sweet, sweet dress! And they will let me, probably they will let me, in fact they will let me wear it!

Fritz, meanwhile, had already galloped and trotted around the table three or four times on a new bay horse, which, as he expected, was tethered by the table with gifts. Getting down, he said that the horse is a fierce beast, but nothing: he will train him. Then he reviewed the new squadron of hussars; they were dressed in magnificent red uniforms embroidered with gold, brandished silver sabers and sat on horses so snow-white that one might think that the horses were also made of pure silver.

Just now the children, having calmed down a little, wanted to take up the picture books lying open on the table so that they could admire various wonderful flowers, colorfully painted people and pretty children playing, depicted so naturally, as if they were really alive and were about to speak, - so, just now the children wanted to take up wonderful books, when the bell rang again. The children knew that now it was the turn of the godfather Drosselmsier's gifts, and they ran to the table that stood against the wall. The screens behind which the table had until then been hidden were quickly removed. Oh what the children saw! On a green lawn dotted with flowers stood a wonderful castle with many mirrored windows and golden towers. Music began to play, doors and windows were flung open, and everyone saw that tiny, but very elegantly made gentlemen and ladies in hats with feathers and dresses with long trains were walking around in the halls. In the central hall, which was so radiant (so many candles were burning in silver chandeliers!), children in short camisoles and skirts danced to the music. A gentleman in an emerald green cloak looked out of the window, bowed and hid again, and below, in the doors of the castle, godfather Drosselmeyer appeared and left again, only he was as tall as my father's little finger, no more.

Fritz put his elbows on the table and for a long time looked at the wonderful castle with dancing and walking little men. Then he asked:

- Godfather, but godfather! Let me go to your castle!

The senior adviser of the court said that this could not be done. And he was right: it was foolish of Fritz to ask for a castle that, with all its golden towers, was smaller than him. Fritz agreed. Another minute passed, gentlemen and ladies were still walking around in the castle, children were dancing, an emerald little man was still looking out of the same window, and godfather Drosselmeyer was still approaching the same door.

Fritz exclaimed impatiently:

“Godfather, now get out of that other door!”

“You can’t do that, dear Fritschen,” objected the senior councilor of the court.

“Well, then,” continued Fritz, “tell the little green man that looks out of the window to walk with the others through the halls.

“That’s also impossible,” the senior councilor of the court objected again.

- Well, then let the children come down! Fritz exclaimed. “I want to get a better look at them.

“None of this is possible,” said the senior councilor of the court in an annoyed tone. - The mechanism is made once for all, you can’t remake it.

- Ah, so-so! said Fritz. - None of this is possible ... Listen, godfather, since smart little men in the castle only know to repeat the same thing, so what's the point of them? I do not need them. No, my hussars are much better! They march forward and backward as I please, and are not locked in the house.

And with these words, he ran away to the Christmas table, and at his command, the squadron on silver mines began to gallop back and forth - in all directions, cut with sabers and shoot as much as they liked. Marie, too, quietly moved away: and she, too, was bored with dancing and festivities of dolls in the castle. Only she tried to make it not noticeable, not like brother Fritz, because she was a kind and obedient girl. The senior adviser of the court said in a displeased tone to the parents:

“Such an intricate toy is not for foolish children. I'll take my castle.

But then the mother asked me to show her the internal structure and the amazing, very skillful mechanism that set the little men in motion. Drosselmeyer disassembled and reassembled the entire toy. Now he cheered up again and presented the children with some beautiful brown men who had golden faces, arms and legs; they were all from Thorn and smelled delicious of gingerbread. Fritz and Marie were very happy with them. The elder sister Louise, at the request of her mother, put on an elegant dress given by her parents, which suited her very well; and Marie asked to be allowed, before putting on her new dress, to admire it a little more, which she was willingly allowed to do.

FAVORITE

But in fact, Marie did not leave the table with gifts because she only now noticed something that she had not seen before: when Fritz's hussars, who had previously stood in line at the very Christmas tree, came out, a wonderful little man appeared in plain sight. He behaved quietly and modestly, as if calmly waiting for his turn to come. True, he was not very foldable: an overly long and dense body on short and thin legs, and his head also seemed to be too big. On the other hand, it was immediately clear from the smart clothes that he was a well-mannered and tasteful person. He was wearing a very beautiful shiny purple hussar dolman, all in buttons and braids, the same breeches and such smart boots that it was hardly possible to wear similar ones even to officers, and even more so to students; they sat on slender legs as deftly as if they were drawn on them. Of course, it was absurd that, with such a suit, he had fastened on his back a narrow, clumsy cloak, as if cut out of wood, and a miner’s cap was pulled over his head, but Marie thought: prevents him from being a sweet, dear godfather.” In addition, Marie came to the conclusion that the godfather, even if he was as dandy as a little man, still never equaled him in cuteness. Carefully peering into the nice little man, who fell in love with her at first sight, Marie noticed how kindly his face shone. Greenish bulging eyes looked friendly and benevolent. The carefully curled beard made of white paper darning, edging his chin, suited the little man very much - after all, the gentle smile on his scarlet lips stood out so much more noticeable.

– Ah! Marie exclaimed at last. - Oh, dear daddy, for whom is this pretty little man that stands under the tree itself?

“He, dear child,” replied the father, “will work hard for all of you: his job is to carefully crack hard nuts, and he was bought for Louise and for you and Fritz.

With these words, the father carefully took him from the table, lifted the wooden cloak, and then the little man opened his mouth wide and bared two rows of very white sharp teeth. Marie put a nut in his mouth, and - click! - the little man gnawed it, the shell fell, and Marie had a tasty nucleolus in her palm. Now everyone - and Marie too - understood that the smart little man descended from the Nutcrackers and continued the profession of his ancestors. Marie cried out loudly for joy, and her father said:

“Since you, dear Marie, liked the Nutcracker, then you yourself should take care of him and take care of him, although, as I said, both Louise and Fritz can also use his services.

Marie immediately took the Nutcracker and gave him nuts to chew on, but she chose the smallest ones so that the little man did not have to open his mouth too wide, since this, to tell the truth, did not make him look good. Louise joined her, and the kind friend Nutcracker did the work for her; he seemed to carry out his duties with great pleasure, because he always smiled affably.

Fritz, meanwhile, got tired of riding and marching. When he heard the merrily cracking of nuts, he too wanted to taste them. He ran up to his sisters and burst out laughing from the bottom of his heart at the sight of the amusing little man who was now passing from hand to hand and tirelessly opening and closing his mouth. Fritz thrust the biggest and hardest nuts into him, but suddenly there was a crack - crack, crack! - Three teeth fell out of the Nutcracker's mouth and the lower jaw sagged and staggered.

“Ah, poor, dear Nutcracker! Marie screamed and took it from Fritz.

- What a fool! Fritz said. - He takes nuts to crack, but his own teeth are no good. It's true, he doesn't know his business. Give it here, Marie! Let him crack nuts for me. It doesn't matter if he breaks off the rest of his teeth, and the whole jaw to boot. There is nothing to stand on ceremony with him, a loafer!

- No no! Marie screamed with tears. - I will not give you my dear Nutcracker. Look how pitifully he looks at me and shows his sick mouth! You are evil: you beat your horses and even let the soldiers kill each other.

"That's how it's supposed to be, you don't understand it!" Fritz shouted. - And the Nutcracker is not only yours, he is mine too. Give it here!

Marie burst into tears and hastily wrapped the sick Nutcracker in a handkerchief. Then the parents approached with godfather Drosselmeyer. To Marie's chagrin, he took Fritz's side. But the father said:

“I purposely gave the Nutcracker to Marie's care. And he, as I see, right now especially needs her cares, so let her alone manage him and no one interferes in this matter. In general, I am very surprised that Fritz requires further services from the victim in the service. Like a real soldier, he must know that the wounded are never left in the ranks.

Fritz was very embarrassed and, leaving alone the nuts and the Nutcracker, quietly moved to the other side of the table, where his hussars, having posted sentries, as expected, settled down for the night. Marie picked up the Nutcracker's teeth that had fallen out; she tied up her injured jaw with a beautiful white ribbon, which she broke off from her dress, and then wrapped the poor little man, who had turned pale and, apparently, frightened, with a scarf even more carefully. Cradling him like a small child, she began to look at the beautiful pictures in the new book, which lay among other gifts. She became very angry, although it was not at all like her, when her godfather began to laugh at her coddling with such a freak. Here she again thought of the strange resemblance to Drosselmeyer, which she noticed at the first glance at the little man, and very seriously said:

- Who knows, dear godfather, who knows, you would be as handsome as my dear Nutcracker, even if you dressed up no worse than him and put on the same smart, shiny boots.

Marie could not understand why her parents laughed so loudly, and why the senior councilor of the court had such a reddened nose, and why he now does not laugh with everyone. True, there were reasons for that.

MIRACLES

As soon as you enter the Stahlbaums' living room, right there, at the door to the left, against the wide wall, there is a tall glass cabinet, where the children put away the beautiful gifts that they receive every year. Louise was still very young when her father ordered a closet from a very skilled carpenter, and he inserted such transparent glasses into it and generally did everything with such skill that the toys in the closet looked, perhaps, even brighter and more beautiful than when they were picked up. . On the top shelf, which Marie and Fritz could not reach, stood the intricate products of Herr Drosselmeyer; the next one was reserved for picture books; the bottom two shelves Marie and Fritz could occupy whatever they pleased. And it always turned out that Marie arranged a doll room on the bottom shelf, and Fritz billeted his troops above it. That is what happened today. While Fritz was placing the hussars upstairs, Marie put Mamselle Trudchen downstairs to the side, put the new elegant doll in a well-furnished room and asked her for a treat. I said that the room was excellently furnished, which is true; I don’t know if you, my attentive listener, Marie, just like little Stahlbaum - you already know that her name is also Marie - so I say that I don’t know if you have, just like she has , a colorful sofa, several pretty chairs, a charming table, and most importantly, an elegant, shiny bed on which the most beautiful dolls in the world sleep - all this stood in a corner in a closet, the walls of which in this place were even pasted over with colored pictures, and you you can easily understand that the new doll, which, as Marie found out that evening, was called Clerchen, felt fine here.

It was already late in the evening, midnight was approaching, and godfather Drosselmeyer had long gone, and the children still could not tear themselves away from the glass cabinet, no matter how mother persuaded them to go to bed.

“It’s true,” Fritz finally exclaimed, “it’s time for the poor fellows (he meant his hussars) to rest, and in my presence none of them will dare to nod, I’m sure of that!

And with these words he left. But Marie kindly asked:

“Dear mother, let me stay here just a minute, just a minute!” I have so many things to do, I’ll manage it and go to bed right now ...

Marie was a very obedient, intelligent girl, and therefore her mother could safely leave her alone with toys for another half an hour. But so that Marie, having played with a new doll and other entertaining toys, would not forget to put out the candles burning around the closet, mother blew them all out, so that only a lamp remained in the room, hanging in the middle of the ceiling and spreading a soft, cozy light.

Don't stay too long, dear Marie. Otherwise, you won’t wake up tomorrow, my mother said, leaving for the bedroom.

As soon as Marie was left alone, she immediately set about what had long been in her heart, although she herself, not knowing why, did not dare to confess her plans even to her mother. She was still cradling the handkerchief-wrapped Nutcracker. Now she laid it carefully on the table, quietly unwrapped the handkerchief and examined the wounds. The Nutcracker was very pale, but he smiled so pitifully and kindly that he touched Marie to the depths of her soul.

“Ah, Nutcracker, dear,” she whispered, “please don’t be angry that Fritz hurt you: he didn’t do it on purpose. He's just hardened by the harsh life of a soldier, otherwise he's a very good boy, believe me! And I will take care of you and take care of you until you get better and have fun. To insert strong teeth into you, to straighten your shoulders - this is the business of godfather Drosselmeyer: he is a master at such things ...

However, Marie did not have time to finish. When she mentioned Drosselmeyer's name, the Nutcracker suddenly grimaced, and prickly green lights flashed in his eyes. But at that moment, when Marie was about to get really frightened, the piteously smiling face of the kind Nutcracker looked at her again, and now she realized that his features were distorted by the light of the lamp flickering from the draft.

- Oh, what a stupid girl I am, why was I scared and even thought that a wooden doll could make faces! But still, I really love the Nutcracker: he is so funny and so kind ... So you need to take care of him properly.

With these words, Marie took her Nutcracker in her arms, went to the glass cabinet, squatted down and said to the new doll:

“I beg you, Mamselle Clerchen, give up your bed to the poor sick Nutcracker, and spend the night yourself on the sofa sometime. Think about it, you're so strong, and besides, you're completely healthy - look at how chubby and ruddy you are. And not every, even a very beautiful doll has such a soft sofa!

Mamzel Clerchen, dressed up in a festive and important way, pouted without uttering a word.

- And why am I on ceremony! - said Marie, removed the bed from the shelf, carefully and carefully laid the Nutcracker there, tied a very beautiful ribbon around his injured shoulders, which she wore instead of a sash, and covered him with a blanket up to his very nose.

“Only there is no need for him to stay here with the ill-mannered Clara,” she thought, and rearranged the crib with the Nutcracker on the top shelf, where he found himself near the beautiful village in which Fritz's hussars were stationed. She locked the closet and was about to go into the bedroom, when suddenly ... listen carefully, children! .. when all of a sudden in all corners - behind the stove, behind the chairs, behind the cabinets - a quiet, quiet whispering, whispering and rustling began. And the clock on the wall hissed, grunted louder and louder, but could not strike twelve. Marie glanced there: a large gilded owl, sitting on the clock, hung its wings, completely covered the clock with them and stretched forward a nasty cat's head with a crooked beak. And the clock wheezed louder and louder, and Marie distinctly heard:

- Tick-and-tock, tick-tock! Don't whine so loud! The mouse king hears everything. Trick-and-Track, Boom Boom! Well, the clock, an old chant! Trick-and-Track, Boom Boom! Well, strike, strike, call: the time is coming for the king!

And ... "beam-bom, beam-bom! - the clock dull and hoarsely struck twelve strokes. Marie was very scared and almost ran away with fear, but then she saw that the godfather Drosselmeyer was sitting on the clock instead of an owl, hanging the flaps of his yellow frock coat on both sides like wings. She mustered her courage and shouted loudly in a whining voice:

- Godfather, listen, godfather, why did you climb there? Get down and don't scare me, you nasty godfather!

But then a strange giggling and squeaking was heard from everywhere, and running and stomping began behind the wall, as if from a thousand tiny paws, and thousands of tiny lights looked through the cracks in the floor. But they weren't lights, no, they were little sparkling eyes, and Marie saw mice peeking out from under the floor and getting out from under the floor. Soon the whole room went: top-top, hop-hop! The eyes of mice shone brighter and brighter, their hordes became more and more numerous; finally they lined up in the same order in which Fritz usually lined up his soldiers before the battle. Marie was very amused; she did not have an innate aversion to mice, as some children do, and her fear completely subsided, but suddenly there was such a terrible and piercing squeak that goosebumps ran down her back. Oh, what did she see! No, that's right dear reader Fritz, I know perfectly well that you, like the wise, courageous commander Fritz Stahlbaum, have a fearless heart, but if you saw what appeared to the eyes of Marie, really, you would run away. I even think you would slip into bed and unnecessarily pull the covers up to your ears. Oh, poor Marie couldn't do it, because - just listen, children! - sand, lime and brick fragments rained down at her very feet, as if from an underground shock, and seven mouse heads in seven brightly sparkling crowns crawled out from under the floor with a nasty hiss and squeak. Soon the whole body, on which seven heads were sitting, got out, and the whole army greeted three times with a loud squeak a huge mouse crowned with seven diadems. Now the army immediately set in motion and - hop-hop, top-top! - went straight to the closet, straight at Marie, who was still standing pressed against the glass door.

Marie's heart had already been pounding with horror before, so that she was afraid that it would immediately jump out of her chest, because then she would die. Now she felt as if her blood had frozen in her veins. She staggered, losing consciousness, but then suddenly there was a click-clack-hrr! .. - and shards of glass fell down, which Marie broke with her elbow. At the same moment she felt a burning pain in her left arm, but her heart was immediately relieved: she no longer heard the screeching and squeaking. Everything was silent for a moment. And although she did not dare to open her eyes, she still thought that the sound of glass had frightened the mice and they hid in holes.

But what is it again? Behind Marie, in the closet, a strange noise arose and thin voices rang out:

- Form up, platoon! Form up, platoon! Fight forward! Midnight strikes! Form up, platoon! Fight forward!

And a harmonious and pleasant chime of melodious bells began.

- Oh, but this is my music box! - Marie was delighted and quickly bounced off the closet.

Then she saw that the closet was glowing strangely and some kind of fuss and fuss was going on in it.

The dolls ran randomly back and forth and waved their arms. Suddenly the Nutcracker got up, threw off the blanket, and jumping off the bed in one jump, shouted loudly:

“Click-click-click, stupid mouse regiment!” That will be good, mouse regiment! Click-click, mouse regiment - rushing out of lye - it will be a good idea!

And at the same time he drew his tiny saber, waved it in the air and shouted:

- Hey you, my faithful vassals, friends and brothers! Will you stand up for me in a hard fight?

And immediately three scaramouches, Pantalone, four chimney sweeps, two itinerant musicians and a drummer answered:

- Yes, our sovereign, we are faithful to you to the grave! Lead us into battle - to death or to victory!

And they rushed after the Nutcracker, who, burning with enthusiasm, ventured a desperate jump from the top shelf. It was good for them to jump: they were not only dressed in silk and velvet, but their bodies were also stuffed with cotton wool and sawdust; so they flopped down like little bundles of wool. But the poor Nutcracker would certainly have broken his arms and legs; just think - from the shelf where he stood, to the bottom was almost two feet, and he himself was fragile, as if carved from linden. Yes, the Nutcracker would certainly have broken his arms and legs if, at the very moment he jumped, Mamselle Clerchen had not jumped off the sofa and taken the hero amazing with a sword into her tender arms.

“Oh dear, kind Clerchen! - Marie exclaimed in tears, - how I was mistaken in you! Of course, you wholeheartedly gave up the bed to your friend Nutcracker.

And now Mamselle Clerchen spoke, gently pressing young hero to your silken chest:

– Is it possible for you, sovereign, to go into battle, towards danger, sick and with wounds that have not yet healed! Look, your brave vassals are gathering, they are eager for battle and are sure of victory. Scaramouche, Pantalone, chimney sweeps, musicians and a drummer are already downstairs, and among the dolls with surprises on my shelf, I notice a strong animation and movement. Deign, my lord, to rest on my chest, or agree to contemplate your victory from the height of my hat, decorated with feathers. “That's what Clerchen said; but the Nutcracker behaved in a completely unseemly manner and kicked so much that Clerchen had to hastily put him on a shelf. At the same moment he very politely dropped to one knee and murmured:

- ABOUT beautiful lady, and on the battlefield I will not forget the mercy and favor shown to me by you!

Then Clerchen bent down so low that she seized him by the handle, carefully lifted him up, quickly untied her sequined sash and was about to put it on the little man, but he stepped back two steps, pressed his hand to his heart and said very solemnly:

“O beautiful lady, do not waste your favors on me, because ...” he stammered, took a deep breath, quickly tore off the ribbon that Marie had tied for him, pressed it to his lips, tied it around his hand in the form of a scarf and, enthusiastically waving a sparkling with a drawn sword, jumped quickly and deftly, like a bird, from the edge of the shelf to the floor.

You, of course, immediately understood, my favorable and very attentive listeners, that the Nutcracker, even before he truly came to life, already perfectly felt the love and care with which Marie surrounded him, and that only out of sympathy for her he did not want to accept from Mamselle Clerchen her belt, despite the fact that it was very beautiful and sparkled all over. The faithful, noble Nutcracker preferred to adorn himself with Marie's modest ribbon. But what's next?

As soon as the Nutcracker jumped on the sing, the screech and squeak rose again. Ah, after all, countless hordes of evil mice have gathered under a large table, and a disgusting mouse with seven heads is ahead of them all!

Will there be something?

BATTLE

- Drummer, my faithful vassal, beat the general offensive! the Nutcracker commanded loudly.

And immediately the drummer began to beat out the drum in the most skillful manner, so that the glass doors of the cabinet trembled and rattled. And something rattled and crackled in the closet, and Marie saw all the boxes in which Fritz's troops were quartered open at once, and the soldiers jumped out of them right onto the bottom shelf and lined up there in shining rows. The Nutcracker ran along the ranks, inspiring the troops with his speeches.

“Where are those rascal trumpeters?” Why don't they trumpet? shouted the Nutcracker in his hearts. Then he quickly turned to the slightly pale Pantaloon, whose long chin was shaking violently, and solemnly said: General, I know your valor and experience. It's all about quickly assessing the position and using the moment. I entrust you with the command of all cavalry and artillery. You do not need a horse - you have very long legs, so you can ride well on your own two. Do your duty!

Pantalone immediately put his long, dry fingers into his mouth and whistled so piercingly as if a hundred horns had been sung loudly at once. Neighing and stomping were heard in the closet, and - look! - Fritz's cuirassiers and dragoons, and in front of all the new, brilliant hussars, set out on a campaign and soon found themselves below, on the floor. And so the regiments marched one after another in front of the Nutcracker with banners fluttering and drumming, and lined up in wide rows across the whole room. All of Fritz's guns, accompanied by gunners, roared forward and went to drink: boom-boom! .. And Marie saw Dragee fly into the dense hordes of mice, powdering them with white sugar, which made them very embarrassed. But most of all the damage was done to the mice by a heavy battery that drove onto my mother's footstool and - boom-boom! - continuously bombarding the enemy with round gingerbread, from which many mice died.

However, the mice kept advancing and even captured a few cannons; but then there was a noise and a roar - trr-trr! - and because of the smoke and dust, Marie could hardly make out what was happening. One thing was clear: both armies fought with great ferocity, and victory passed from one side to the other. The mice brought fresh and fresh forces into battle, and the silver pills, which they threw very skillfully, reached the closet. Clerchen and Trudchen rushed about the shelf and broke their handles in despair.

- Shall I die in the prime of my life, shall I die, such a beautiful doll! yelled Clerchen.

“It’s not for the same reason that I am so well preserved in order to die here, within four walls!” Trudchen wailed.

Then they fell into each other's arms and howled so loudly that even the furious roar of battle could not drown them out.

You have no idea, my dear listeners, what was going on here. Again and again the guns thumped: prr-prr! .. Dr-dr! .. Bang-bang-bang-bang! .. Boom-burum-boom-burum-boom! .. And then the mouse king and mice squealed and squealed, and then the formidable and mighty voice of the Nutcracker, who commanded the battle, was heard again. And it was seen how he himself bypasses his battalions under fire.

Pantalone made several extremely valiant cavalry charges and covered himself with glory. But the mouse artillery bombarded Fritz's hussars with disgusting, fetid cannonballs, which left terrible stains on their red uniforms, which is why the hussars did not rush forward. Pantalone commanded them to "fawn circle" and, inspired by the role of the commander, he himself turned to the left, followed by the cuirassiers and dragoons, and the whole cavalry went home. Now the position of the battery, which had taken up position on the footstool, was threatened; it did not take long for the hordes of nasty mice to surge in and rush into the attack so furiously that they overturned the stool along with the cannons and gunners. The Nutcracker, apparently, was very puzzled and ordered a retreat on the right flank. You know, my listener Fritz, who is highly experienced in military affairs, that such a maneuver means almost the same thing as fleeing from the battlefield, and you, together with me, are already lamenting the failure that was to befall the army of Marie's little favorite - the Nutcracker. But turn your eyes away from this misfortune and look at the left flank of the Nutcracker army, where everything is quite well and the commander and the army are still full of hope. In the heat of battle, detachments of mouse cavalry quietly stepped out from under the chest of drawers and with a disgusting squeak furiously attacked the left flank of the Nutcracker army; but what resistance did they meet! Slowly, as far as the uneven terrain allowed, for it was necessary to get over the edge of the cabinet, a body of pupae with surprises led by two Chinese emperors stepped out and formed up in a square. These brave, very colorful and elegant regiments, made up of gardeners, Tyroleans, Tungus, hairdressers, harlequins, cupids, lions, tigers, monkeys and monkeys, fought with composure, courage and endurance. With courage worthy of the Spartans, this select battalion would have wrested victory from the hands of the enemy, if some brave enemy captain had not broken through with insane courage to one of the Chinese emperors and had not bitten off his head, and he did not crush two Tunguses and a monkey when falling. As a result, a gap was formed, where the enemy rushed; and soon the whole battalion was gnawed. But little benefit was derived by the enemy from this atrocity. As soon as the bloodthirsty soldier of the mouse cavalry gnawed one of his brave opponents in half, a printed piece of paper fell right into his throat, from which he died on the spot. But did this help the Nutcracker army, which, once starting a retreat, retreated further and further and suffered more and more losses, so that soon only a bunch of daredevils with the ill-fated Nutcracker at the head still held out at the closet itself? "Reserves, here! Pantalone, Scaramouche, drummer, where are you? called out the Nutcracker, counting on the arrival of fresh forces that were to come out of the glass case. True, some brown men from Thorn came from there, with golden faces and golden helmets and hats; but they fought so clumsily that they never hit the enemy and probably would have knocked off the hat of their commander the Nutcracker. Enemy huntsmen soon gnawed off their legs, so that they fell and in doing so passed many of the Nutcracker's associates. Now the Nutcracker, pressed on all sides by the enemy, was in great danger. He wanted to jump over the edge of the closet, but his legs were too short. Clerchen and Trudchen lay in a swoon - they could not help him. Hussars and dragoons briskly galloped past him straight into the closet. Then, in the utmost despair, he exclaimed loudly:

- Horse, horse! Half the kingdom for a horse!

At that moment, two enemy arrows clung to his wooden cloak, and the mouse king jumped to the Nutcracker, emitting a victorious squeak from all his seven throats.

Marie was no longer in control of herself.

“Oh my poor Nutcracker! - she exclaimed, sobbing, and, not realizing what she was doing, she took off her shoe from her left foot and threw it with all her might into the very thick of the mice, right at their king.

At the same moment, everything seemed to crumble to dust, and Marie felt pain in her left elbow, even more burning than before, and fell unconscious on the floor.

DISEASE

When Marie woke up after a deep slumber, she saw that she was lying in her bed, and through the frozen windows a bright, sparkling sun was shining into the room.

By her very bed sat a stranger, whom, however, she soon recognized as the surgeon Wendelstern. He said in an undertone:

She finally woke up...

Then my mother came up and looked at her with a frightened, inquisitive look.

“Ah, dear mother,” Marie murmured, “tell me: the nasty mice have finally left and the glorious Nutcracker is saved?

- It's full of nonsense to talk, dear Marihen! - objected the mother. - Well, what do mice need your Nutcracker for? But you, bad girl, scared us to death. It always happens when children are self-willed and do not obey their parents. You played with dolls until late at night yesterday, then dozed off, and you must have been frightened by a mouse that slipped by by chance: after all, we don’t have mice in general. In a word, you broke the glass in the closet with your elbow and hurt your hand. It’s good that you didn’t cut a vein with glass! Dr. Wendelstern, who was just now removing the fragments stuck there from your wound, says that you would remain crippled for life and might even bleed to death. Thank God I woke up at midnight, saw that you were still not in the bedroom, and went to the living room. You lay unconscious on the floor by the closet, covered in blood. I nearly passed out with fear. You were lying on the floor, and Fritz's tin soldiers, various toys, broken dolls with surprises and gingerbread men were scattered around. You held the Nutcracker in your left hand, from which blood oozed, and your shoe was lying nearby ...

- Oh, mommy, mommy! Marie interrupted her. - After all, these were traces of the great battle between dolls and mice! That's why I was so frightened that the mice wanted to take prisoner the poor Nutcracker, who commanded the puppet army. Then I threw the shoe at the mice, and I don’t know what happened next.

Dr. Wendelstern winked at his mother, and she very affectionately began to persuade Marie:

“That’s enough, that’s enough, my dear baby, calm down! The mice all ran away, and the Nutcracker stands behind the glass in the closet, safe and sound.

At that moment the adviser of medicine entered the bedroom and started a long conversation with the surgeon Wendelstern, then he felt Marie's pulse, and she heard them talking about the fever caused by the wound.

For several days she had to lie in bed and swallow medicines, although, apart from the pain in her elbow, she did not feel much discomfort. She knew that the dear Nutcracker had come out of the battle unharmed, and at times it seemed to her, as if through a dream, that he was saying to her in a very clear, albeit extremely sad voice: “Marie, beautiful lady, I owe you a lot, but you can do more for me."

Marie thought in vain what it could be, but nothing came to her mind. She could not really play because of her sore hand, and if she took up reading or leafing through picture books, her eyes rippled, so she had to give up this activity. Therefore, time dragged on for her endlessly, and Marie could hardly wait until dusk, when her mother sat down by her bed and read and told all sorts of wonderful stories.

And just now, the mother had just finished an entertaining tale about Prince Fakardin, when the door suddenly opened, and godfather Drosselmeyer entered.

“Come on, let me have a look at our poor wounded Marie,” he said.

As soon as Marie saw her godfather in the usual yellow frock coat, the night when the Nutcracker was defeated in the battle with mice flashed before her eyes with all the vivacity, and she involuntarily shouted to the senior councilor of the court:

“Oh godfather, how ugly you are!” I perfectly saw how you sat on the clock and hung your wings on them so that the clock would beat more quietly and not frighten away the mice. I perfectly heard you call the mouse king. Why didn't you hurry to help the Nutcracker, why didn't you hurry to help me, ugly godfather? You alone are to blame for everything. Because of you, I cut my hand and now I have to lie sick in bed!

The mother asked in fear:

"What's the matter with you, dear Marie?"

But the godfather made a strange face and spoke in a crackling, monotonous voice:

- The pendulum swings with a creak. Less knocking - that's the thing. Trick-and-Track! Always and henceforth the pendulum must creak and sing songs. And when the bell rings: bim-and-bom! - the deadline is coming. Don't be scared, my friend. The clock strikes on time and by the way, to the death of the mouse army, and then the owl will fly off. One-and-two and one-and-two! The clock strikes, since the time has come for them. The pendulum swings with a creak. Less knocking - that's the thing. Tick-and-tock and trick-and-track!

Marie stared wide-eyed at her godfather, because he seemed very different and much uglier than usual, and with his right hand he waved back and forth, like a clown being pulled by a string.

She would have been very frightened if her mother had not been here and if Fritz, who had slipped into the bedroom, had not interrupted his godfather with loud laughter.

“Ah, godfather Drosselmeyer,” exclaimed Fritz, “today you are so funny again!” You are grimacing just like my clown, whom I have long ago thrown behind the stove.

The mother was still very serious and said:

“Dear Mr. Senior Counselor, this is indeed a strange joke. What do you have in mind?

“Oh my God, have you forgotten my favorite watchmaker's song? answered Drosselmeyer, laughing. “I always sing it to sick people like Marie.

And he quickly sat down to the bed and said:

“Don’t be angry that I didn’t gouge out all fourteen of the mouse king’s eyes at once—it couldn’t have been done. But now I will make you happy.

With these words, the senior adviser of the court reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out - what do you think, children, what? - The Nutcracker, to whom he very skillfully inserted the fallen teeth and set the sore jaw.

Marie cried out with joy, and her mother said, smiling:

- You see how your godfather cares about your Nutcracker ...

“Anyway, admit it, Marie,” the godfather interrupted Mrs. Stahlbaum, because the Nutcracker is not very foldable and unattractive. If you want to listen, I will gladly tell you how such deformity appeared in his family and became hereditary there. Or maybe you already know the tale of Princess Pirlipat, the witch Myshilda and the skilled watchmaker?

“Listen, godfather! Fritz intervened. “What’s true is true: you put the Nutcracker’s teeth in perfectly, and the jaw doesn’t wobble either.” But why doesn't he have a sword? Why didn't you tie a sword on him?

- Well, you, restless, - grumbled the senior adviser of the court, - you can’t please you in any way! The Nutcracker's saber does not concern me. I cured him - let him get himself a saber wherever he wants.

- Right! Fritz exclaimed. “If he's a brave fellow, he'll get himself a weapon.

“So, Marie,” continued the godfather, “tell me, do you know the tale of Princess Pirlipat?”

- Oh, no! Marie replied. - Tell me, dear godfather, tell me!

- I hope, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, - said my mother, - that this time you will tell not such scary tale, as usual.

“Well, of course, dear Mrs. Stahlbaum,” replied Drosselmeyer. On the contrary, what I shall have the honor to present to you is very amusing.

- Oh, tell me, tell me, dear godfather! the children screamed.

And the senior councilor of the court began thus:

THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT

Mother Pirlipat was the wife of the king, and therefore the queen, and Pirlipat, as she was born, became a born princess at the same moment. The king could not stop looking at the beautiful daughter resting in the cradle. He rejoiced loudly, danced, jumped on one leg and kept shouting:

- Hayes! Has anyone seen a girl more beautiful than my Pirlipathen?

And all the ministers, generals, advisers and staff officers jumped on one leg, like their father and master, and answered loudly in chorus:

No, no one saw!

Yes, to tell the truth, and it was undeniable that, since the beginning of the world, no more beautiful child had been born than Princess Pirlipat. Her face was as if woven from lily-white and pale pink silk, her eyes were a lively shining azure, and her hair, curled with golden rings, especially adorned. At the same time, Pirlipatchen was born with two rows of teeth as white as pearls, with which, two hours after birth, she dug into the finger of the Reich Chancellor when he wished to examine her features more closely, so that he yelled: “Oh-oh-oh! “Some, however, claim that he shouted: “Ai-ai-ai! “Even today, opinions differ. In short, Pirlipatchen actually bit the Reich Chancellor's finger, and then the admiring people were convinced that the soul, mind, and feeling inhabit the charming, angelic body of Princess Pirlipat.

As said, everyone was delighted; one queen was worried and worried for no reason. It was especially strange that she ordered that Pirlipat's cradle be guarded vigilantly. Not only were drapants standing at the door, an order was given that in the nursery, in addition to two nannies who constantly sat at the very cradle, six more nannies were on duty every night and - which seemed completely absurd and which no one could understand - each nanny was ordered to keep on the cat's lap and stroke it all night so that it doesn't stop purring. You, dear children, will never guess why the mother of Princess Pirlipat took all these measures, but I know why and now I will tell you.

Once upon a time, many glorious kings and handsome princes came to the court of the king, the parent of Princess Pirlipat. For the sake of such an occasion, brilliant tournaments, performances and court balls were arranged. The king, wishing to show that he had a lot of gold and silver, decided to dip his hand into his treasury and arrange a feast worthy of him. Therefore, having found out from the chief cook that the court astrologer had announced a time favorable for chopping pigs, he decided to hold a sausage feast, jumped into the carriage and personally invited all the surrounding kings and princes just for a bowl of soup, dreaming then to amaze them with luxury. Then he very affectionately said to his queen wife:

- Honey, you know what kind of sausage I like ...

The queen already knew what he was getting at: this meant that she must personally engage in a very useful business - the manufacture of sausages, which she did not disdain before. The chief treasurer was ordered to immediately send a large golden cauldron and silver pans to the kitchen; the stove was kindled with sandalwood wood; the queen tied her damask kitchen apron. And soon a delicious spirit of sausage broth wafted from the cauldron. A pleasant smell even penetrated the state council. The king, trembling with delight, could not bear it.

“I beg your pardon, gentlemen! he exclaimed, ran into the kitchen, embraced the queen, stirred the cauldron a little with the golden scepter, and, reassured, returned to the council of state.

The most important moment came: it was time to cut the lard into slices and fry it in golden frying pans. The court ladies stepped aside, because the queen, out of devotion, love and respect for her royal husband, was going to personally deal with this matter. But as soon as the fat began to turn red, a thin, whispering voice was heard:

“Give me a taste of salz too, sister!” And I want to feast - I'm also a queen. Let me taste the salsa!

The Queen knew very well that it was Madame Myshilda speaking. Myshilda had been living in the royal palace for many years. She claimed to be related to the royal family and she herself rules the kingdom of Mouseland, which is why she kept under the kidney large yard. The queen was a kind and generous woman. Although in general she did not consider Myshilda a special royal family and her sister, but on such a solemn day she admitted her to the feast with all her heart and shouted:

“Get out, Miss Myshilda!” Eat salsa for health.

And Myshilda quickly and cheerfully jumped out from under the stove, jumped up on the stove and began to grab with her graceful paws one by one the pieces of lard that the queen was holding out to her. But then all the godfathers and aunts of Myshilda came flooding in, and even her seven sons, desperate tomboys. They pounced on the lard, and the queen, frightened, did not know what to do. Fortunately, the chief chamberlain arrived in time and drove the uninvited guests away. Thus, a little fat survived, which, according to the instructions of the court mathematician called for this occasion, was very skillfully distributed over all the sausages.

They beat the timpani, blew the trumpets. All the kings and princes in magnificent festive attire - some on white horses, others in crystal carriages - were drawn to the sausage feast. The king met them with cordial friendliness and honor, and then, in a crown and with a scepter, as befits a sovereign, sat at the head of the table. Already when the liver sausages were served, the guests noticed how the king grew more and more pale, how he raised his eyes to the sky. Quiet sighs escaped his chest; a great sorrow seemed to take possession of his soul. But when the black pudding was served, he leaned back in his chair with loud sobs and groans, covering his face with both hands. Everyone jumped up from the table. The life doctor tried in vain to feel the pulse of the ill-fated king, who seemed to be consumed by a deep, incomprehensible longing. Finally, after much persuasion, after the use of strong remedies like burnt goose feathers and the like, the king seemed to begin to come to his senses. He murmured almost inaudibly:

“Too little fat!”

Then the inconsolable queen thumped at his feet and groaned:

“O my poor, unfortunate royal husband! Oh, what grief you had to endure! But look: the culprit is at your feet - punish, punish me severely! Ah, Myshilda, with her godfathers, aunts and seven sons, ate lard, and ...

With these words, the queen fell unconscious on her back. But the king jumped up, blazing with anger, and shouted loudly:

- Chief Hofmeisterina, how did this happen?

The Chief Hofmeisterina told what she knew, and the king decided to take revenge on Myshilda and her family for eating the fat intended for his sausages.

A secret state council was convened. They decided to initiate proceedings against Myshilda and take away all her possessions to the treasury. But the king believed that as long as this did not prevent Myshilda, when she liked, to devour bacon, and therefore entrusted the whole matter to the court watchmaker and sorcerer. This man, whose name was the same as mine, namely Christian Elias Drosselmeyer, promised to expel Myshilda and her entire family from the palace with the help of completely special measures filled with state wisdom for all eternity.

And indeed: he invented very skillful cars, in which fried bacon was tied on a thread, and placed them around the dwelling of the mistress of the lard.

Myshilda herself was too wise by experience not to understand Drosselmeyer's tricks, but neither her warnings nor her exhortations helped: all seven sons and many, many Myshilda's godfathers and aunts, attracted by the delicious smell of fried bacon, climbed into Drosselmeyer's cars - and only wanted to feast on bacon, as they were suddenly slammed by a sliding door, and then they were betrayed in the kitchen of a shameful execution. Myshilda with a small handful of surviving relatives left these places of sorrow and crying. Grief, despair, the desire for revenge bubbled in her chest.

The court rejoiced, but the queen was alarmed: she knew Myshildin's temper and perfectly understood that she would not leave the death of her sons and loved ones unavenged.

And in fact, Myshilda appeared just when the queen was preparing liver pate for the royal husband, which he very willingly ate, and said this:

“My sons, godfathers and aunts have been killed. Beware, queen, lest the queen of mice bite the little princess! Watch out!

Then she disappeared again and did not appear again. But the queen, in fright, dropped the pate into the fire, and for the second time Myshilda spoiled the king's favorite food, which he was very angry with ...

Well, that's enough for tonight. I’ll tell you the rest next time,” the godfather unexpectedly finished.

No matter how much Marie, on whom the story made a special impression, asked to continue, godfather Drosselmeyer was inexorable and with the words: “Too much at once is harmful to health; to be continued tomorrow,” he jumped up from his chair.

Just as he was about to go out the door, Fritz asked:

“Tell me, godfather, is it really true that you invented a mousetrap?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Fritz!” the mother exclaimed.

But the senior councilor of the court smiled very strangely and said softly:

“And why shouldn’t I, a skilled watchmaker, invent a mousetrap?”

THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT CONTINUED

“Well, children, now you know,” Drosselmeyer continued the next evening, “why the queen ordered the beautiful princess Pirlipat to be so vigilantly guarded. How could she not be afraid that Myshilda would fulfill her threat - she would return and bite the little princess to death! Drosselmeyer's typewriter did not help at all against the clever and prudent Myshilda, and the court astrologer, who was also the main soothsayer, declared that only the kind of cat Murr could drive Myshilda away from the cradle. That is why every nanny was ordered to hold on her knees one of the sons of this kind, who, by the way, were granted the chip of the Privy Councilor of the Embassy, ​​and lighten their burden. public service courteous scratching behind the ear.

Somehow, already at midnight, one of the two chief nannies who were sitting at the very cradle, suddenly woke up, as if from a deep sleep. Everything around was covered in sleep. No purring - deep, dead silence, only the ticking of a grinder bug is heard. But what did the nanny feel when, right in front of her, she saw a big nasty mouse that rose on its hind legs and put its sinister head on the princess's face! The nanny jumped up with a cry of horror, everyone woke up, but at the same moment Myshilda - after all, she was a big mouse at the cradle of Pirlipat - quickly darted into the corner of the room. The embassy advisers rushed after her, but no luck: she darted through a crack in the floor. Pirlipatchen woke up from the confusion and wept very plaintively.

“Thank God,” the nannies exclaimed, “she is alive!”

But how frightened they were when they looked at Pirlipatchen and saw what had become of the pretty, tender baby! Instead of the curly head of a ruddy cherub, a huge shapeless head sat on a frail, crouching body; blue, like azure, eyes turned into green, stupidly staring peepers, and the mouth stretched to the ears.

The queen burst into tears and sobs, and the king's office had to be upholstered with cotton, because the king banged his head against the wall and lamented in a plaintive voice:

“Oh, I am an unfortunate monarch!

Now the king, it seemed, could understand that it was better to eat sausage without bacon and leave Myshilda alone with all her baking relatives, but the father of Princess Pirlipat did not think about this - he simply shifted all the blame on the court watchmaker and miracle worker Christian Elias Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg and gave a wise order: "Drosselmeyer must return Princess Pirlipat to her former appearance within a month, or at least indicate the correct means for this - otherwise he will be sold to a shameful death at the hands of the executioner."

Drosselmeyer was seriously frightened. However, he relied on his skill and happiness and immediately proceeded to the first operation, which he considered necessary. He very deftly dismantled Princess Pirlipat into parts, unscrewed the arms and legs and examined the internal structure, but, unfortunately, he was convinced that with age the princess would be more and more ugly, and did not know how to help the trouble. He again diligently gathered the princess and fell into despondency near her cradle, from which he did not dare to leave.

It was already the fourth week, Wednesday came, and the king, flashing his eyes in anger and shaking his scepter, looked into the nursery to Pirlipat and exclaimed:

- Christian Elias Drosselmeyer, cure the princess, otherwise you will not do well!

Drosselmeyer began to cry plaintively, while Princess Pirlipat, meanwhile, cheerfully cracked nuts. For the first time, the watchmaker and wizard was struck by her extraordinary love for nuts and the fact that she was born already with teeth. In fact, after the transformation, she screamed incessantly until she accidentally got a nut; she gnawed it, ate the nucleolus, and immediately calmed down. Since then, the nannies kept calming her down with nuts.

“O holy instinct of nature, the inscrutable sympathy of all things! exclaimed Christian Elias Drosselmeyer. “You show me the gates of mystery. I'll knock and they'll open!

He immediately asked permission to speak with the court astrologer and was taken to him under strict guard. Both, bursting into tears, fell into each other's arms, as they were bosom friends, then retired to a secret study and began to rummage through books that spoke of instinct, likes and dislikes, and other mysterious phenomena.

Night has come. The court astrologer looked at the stars and, with the help of Drosselmeyer, a great expert in this matter, he compiled the horoscope of Princess Pirlipat. It was very difficult to do this, because the lines became more and more tangled, but - oh, joy! - Finally, everything became clear: in order to get rid of the magic that disfigured her and regain her former beauty, Princess Pirlipat had only to eat the kernel of the Krakatuk nut.

The Krakatuk nut had such a hard shell that a forty-eight-pound cannon could run over it without crushing it. This hard nut was to be gnawed and, with his eyes closed, brought to the princess by a man who had never shaved or worn a boot. Then the young man had to step back seven steps without stumbling, and only then open his eyes.

For three days and three nights Drosselmeyer worked tirelessly with the astrologer, and just on Saturday, when the king was sitting at dinner, a joyful and cheerful Drosselmeyer burst into him, whose head was to be cut off on Sunday morning, and announced that a means had been found to return Princess Pirlipat lost beauty. The king embraced him warmly and kindly, and promised him a diamond sword, four medals, and two new caftans.

“After dinner we will begin at once,” the king added kindly. Take care, dear wizard, that an unshaven young man in shoes is at hand and, as expected, with a Krakatuk nut. And do not give him wine, otherwise he would not stumble when, like a cancer, he will back seven steps. Then let him drink freely!

Drosselmeier was frightened by the speech of the king, and, embarrassed and timid, he murmured that the remedy had indeed been found, but that both - both the nut and the young man who was supposed to crack it - must first be found, and it is still very doubtful whether it is possible to find walnut and nutcracker. In great anger, the king shook his scepter over his crowned head and roared like a lion:

“Well, they’ll take your head off!”

Luckily for Drosselmeyer, who was overcome with fear and grief, just today the dinner was very to the king's taste, and therefore he was disposed to listen to reasonable exhortations, which the magnanimous queen, touched by the fate of the unfortunate watchmaker, did not stint on. Drosselmeyer cheered up and respectfully reported to the king that, in fact, he had solved the problem - he had found a means to cure the princess, and thus deserved a pardon. The king called it a stupid excuse and empty talk, but in the end, after drinking a glass of gastric tincture, he decided that both the watchmaker and the astrologer would set off and not return until they had a Krakatuk nut in their pocket. And on the advice of the queen, they decided to get the person needed to crack the nut through repeated announcements in local and foreign newspapers and journals with an invitation to come to the palace ...

At this godfather Drosselmeyer stopped and promised to finish the rest the next evening.

THE END OF THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT

And in fact, the next day in the evening, as soon as the candles were lit, godfather Drosselmeyer appeared and continued his story like this:

“Drosselmeyer and the court astrologer have been wandering for fifteen years and still have not hit the trail of the Krakatuk nut. Where they have been, what outlandish adventures they have experienced, do not retell, children, and for a whole month. I am not going to do this, and I will tell you frankly that, immersed in deep despondency, Drosselmeyer greatly yearned for his homeland, for his dear Nuremberg. A particularly strong melancholy fell upon him once in Asia, in a dense forest, where he, together with his companion, sat down to smoke a pipe of Knaster.

“Oh, my marvelous, marvelous Nuremberg, who is not yet familiar with you, even if he has even been to Vienna, Paris and Peterwardein, his soul will languish, to you, O Nuremberg, to strive - a wonderful town where beautiful houses stand in a row” .

Drosselmeyer's plaintive lamentations aroused deep sympathy in the astrologer, and he also burst into tears so bitterly that he was heard throughout Asia. But he pulled himself together, wiped away his tears and asked:

- Honorable colleague, why are we sitting here and roaring? Why don't we go to Nuremberg? Does it matter where and how to look for the ill-fated Krakatuk nut?

“And that’s true,” answered Drosselmeyer, immediately comforted.

Both got up at once, knocked out their pipes, and from the forest in the depths of Asia they went straight to Nuremberg.

As soon as they arrived, Drosselmeyer immediately ran to his cousin - a toy maker, wood turner, lacquer and gilder Christoph Zacharius Drosselmeyer, whom he had not seen for many, many years. It was to him that the watchmaker told the whole story about Princess Pirlipat, Mrs. Myshilda, and the Krakatuk nut, and he continually clasped his hands and exclaimed several times in surprise:

- Ah, brother, brother, well, miracles!

Drosselmeyer told about the adventures on his long journey, told how he spent two years with the Date King, how the Almond Prince offended and kicked him out, how he vainly asked the society of natural scientists in the city of Belok - in short, how he never managed to find a trace of a nut anywhere Krakatuk. During the story, Christoph Zacharius snapped his fingers more than once, spun on one leg, smacked his lips and said:

- Hm, hm! Hey! That's the thing!

Finally, he threw the cap to the ceiling along with the wig, warmly embraced his cousin and exclaimed:

- Brother, brother, you are saved, saved, I say! Listen: either I am cruelly mistaken, or I have the Krakatuk nut!

He immediately brought a box, from which he pulled out a medium-sized gilded walnut.

“Look,” he said, showing the nut to his cousin, “look at this nut. His history is like this. Many years ago, on Christmas Eve, an unknown person came here with a full bag of nuts, which he brought to sell. Right at the door of my toy shop, he put the sack on the ground to make it easier to operate, as he had a skirmish with the local nut seller, who could not tolerate someone else's merchant. At that moment the bag was run over by a heavily laden wagon. All the nuts were crushed, except for one, who was a stranger, smiling strangely, and offered to give me the Zwanziger of 1720. It seemed mysterious to me, but I found in my pocket just such a zwanziger as he asked for, bought a walnut and gilded it. I myself don’t quite know why I paid so dearly for a nut, and then took such good care of it.

Any doubt that the cousin's nut was really the Krakatuk nut they had been looking for so long was immediately dispelled when the court astrologer, who arrived at the call, carefully scraped off the gilding from the nut and found the word "Krakatuk" carved in Chinese letters on the shell.

The joy of travelers was enormous, and cousin Drosselmeyer considered himself happiest person in the world, when Drosselmeyer assured him that his happiness was guaranteed, because from now on, in addition to a significant pension, he will receive gold for gilding for free.

Both the magician and the astrologer had already put on their nightcaps and were about to go to bed, when suddenly the last one, that is, the astrologer, spoke like this:

“Dearest colleague, happiness never comes alone. Believe me, we found not only the Krakatuk nut, but also a young man who will crack it open and present the princess with a nucleolus - a guarantee of beauty. I mean none other than your cousin's son. No, I won't go to bed, he exclaimed with inspiration. - I'll make a young man's horoscope tonight! - With these words, he tore off the cap from his head and immediately began to observe the stars.

Drosselmeyer's nephew was indeed a handsome, well-built young man who had never shaved or put on boots. IN early youth he, it is true, depicted two nativity scenes in a row as a clown; but this was not the least noticeable: he had been so skillfully brought up by the efforts of his father. At Christmas time he was in a beautiful red caftan embroidered with gold, with a sword, kept his hat under his arm and wore an excellent wig with a pigtail. In such a brilliant form, he stood in his father's shop and, with his usual gallantry, cracked nuts for the young ladies, for which they called him Handsome Nutcracker.

The next morning, the admiring stargazer fell into the arms of Drosselmeyer and exclaimed:

- It is he! We got it, it's found! Only, dear colleague, two circumstances should not be overlooked: firstly, you need to weave your excellent nephew a solid wooden braid, which would be connected to the lower jaw in such a way that it could be strongly pulled back by a braid; then, upon arrival in the capital, we must keep silent about the fact that we brought with us a young man who will crack the Krakatuk nut, it is better that he appears much later. I read in the horoscope that after many break their teeth on the nut to no avail, the king will give the princess, and after death the kingdom as a reward to the one who cracks the nut and returns Pirlipat to its lost beauty.

The toy master was very flattered that his son-daughter was to marry a princess and become a prince himself, and then a king, and therefore he willingly entrusted him to an astrologer and watchmaker. The scythe that Drosselmeyer attached to his young promising nephew was a success, so that he brilliantly passed the test, biting through the hardest peach pits.

Drosselmeyer and the astrologer immediately let the capital know that the Krakatuk nut had been found, and there they immediately published an appeal, and when our travelers arrived with a talisman that restores beauty, many beautiful young men and even princes already appeared at the court, relying on their healthy jaws , wanted to try to remove the evil spell from the princess.

Our travelers were very frightened when they saw the princess. A small torso with skinny arms and legs barely held a shapeless head. The face seemed even uglier because of the white thread beard that covered the mouth and chin.

Everything happened as the court astrologer read in the horoscope. The milk-suckers in shoes, one after another, broke their teeth and tore their jaws, but the princess did not feel any better; when, then, in a semi-conscious state, the dentists invited for this occasion carried them away, they groaned:

“Come and crack that nut!”

Finally, the king, in contrite heart, promised a daughter and a kingdom to the one who would disenchant the princess. It was then that our courteous and modest young Drosselmeyer volunteered and asked permission to also try his luck.

Princess Pirlipat didn’t like anyone as much as young Drosselmeyer, she pressed her hands to her heart and sighed from the depths of her soul: “Oh, if only he cracked the Krakatuk nut and became my husband! "

Bowing politely to the king and queen, and then to Princess Pirlipat, young Drosselmeyer accepted the Krakatuk nut from the hands of the master of ceremonies, put it in his mouth without much talk, pulled his braid strongly and click-click! - Break the shell into pieces. He deftly cleared the nucleolus from the adhering peel and, closing his eyes, brought it to the princess with a respectful scuffling of his leg, then began to back away. The princess immediately swallowed the nucleolus, and oh, a miracle! - the freak disappeared, and in its place stood a beautiful, like an angel, girl, with a face as if woven from lily-white and pink silk, with eyes shining like azure, with curly golden hair rings.

Trumpets and timpani joined in the loud rejoicing of the people. The king and the whole court danced on one leg, as at the birth of Princess Pirlipat, and the queen had to be sprayed with cologne, as she fainted from joy and delight.

The ensuing turmoil confused the young Drosselmeyer, who still had to walk back the prescribed seven steps. Nevertheless, he behaved perfectly and had already raised his right leg for the seventh step, but then Myshilda crawled out of the underground with a disgusting squeak and squeal. Young Drosselmeyer, who was about to put his foot down, stepped on it and stumbled so hard that he almost fell.

Oh bad rock! In an instant, the young man became as ugly as Princess Pirlipat before. The torso shrunk and could barely support a huge shapeless head with large bulging eyes and a wide, ugly gaping mouth. Instead of a scythe, a narrow wooden cloak hung behind, with which it was possible to control the lower jaw.

The watchmaker and the astrologer were beside themselves with horror, but they noticed that Myshilda was writhing on the floor covered in blood. Her villainy did not go unpunished: the young Drosselmeyer hit her hard on the neck with a sharp heel, and she was finished.

But Myshilda, seized with death throes, plaintively squeaked and squealed:

“O hard, hard Krakatuk, I can’t get away from mortal torments!” .. Hee-hee... Wee-wee... But, the sly Nutcracker, and the end will come to you: my son, the mouse king, will not forgive my death - he will avenge you for the mother of the mouse army. Oh life, you were bright - and death came for me ... Quick!

Squeaking in last time, Myshilda died, and the king's stoker carried her away.

No one paid any attention to the young Drosselmeyer. However, the princess reminded her father of his promise, and the king immediately ordered the young hero to be brought to Pirlipat. But when the poor fellow appeared before her in all his ugliness, the princess covered her face with both hands and cried out:

“Get out, get out of here, you nasty Nutcracker!”

And at once the marshal seized him by the narrow shoulders and pushed him out.

The king was inflamed with anger, deciding that they wanted to impose the Nutcracker on him as a son-in-law, he blamed the unlucky watchmaker and astrologer for everything, and on eternal times expelled both from the capital. This was not foreseen in the horoscope drawn up by the astrologer in Nuremberg, but he did not fail to start watching the stars again and read that the young Drosselmeyer would behave excellently in his new rank and, despite all his ugliness, would become a prince and king. But his ugliness will disappear only if the seven-headed son of Mouselda, who was born after the death of his seven older brothers and became the mouse king, falls at the hand of the Nutcracker and if, despite his ugly appearance, a beautiful lady falls in love with the young Drosselmeyer. They say that, in fact, at Christmas time they saw young Drosselmeyer in Nuremberg in his father's shop, although in the form of a Nutcracker, but still in the dignity of a prince.

Here's to you, children, the tale of the hard nut. Now you understand why they say: “Come and crack such a nut! And why are nutcrackers so ugly...

Thus ended the senior councilor of the court with his story.

Marie decided that Pirlipat was a very ugly and ungrateful princess, and Fritz assured that if the Nutcracker was really brave, he would not stand on ceremony with the mouse king and would regain his former beauty.

UNCLE AND NEPHEW

Any of my highly respected readers or listeners who have cut themselves with glass know how painful it is and what a bad thing it is, since the wound heals very slowly. Marie had to spend almost a whole week in bed, because every time she tried to get up she felt dizzy. Nevertheless, in the end she completely recovered and could again jump around the room cheerfully.

Everything in the glass cabinet shone with novelty - trees, flowers, houses, and festively overdressed dolls, and most importantly, Marie found her dear Nutcracker there, who smiled at her from the second shelf, baring two rows of whole teeth. When she, rejoicing from the bottom of her heart, looked at her pet, her heart suddenly ached: what if everything that the godfather told - the story about the Nutcracker and about his feud with Myshilda and her son - if all this is true? Now she knew that her Nutcracker was a young Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg, a handsome, but, unfortunately, bewitched by Myshilda nephew of her godfather Drosselmeyer.

The fact that the skilled watchmaker at the court of Princess Pirlipat's father was none other than the senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, Marie did not doubt for a minute even during the story. "But why didn't your uncle help you, why didn't he help you?" - Marie lamented, and the conviction grew stronger in her that the battle at which she was present was for the Nutcracker kingdom and the crown. “After all, all the dolls obeyed him, because it is quite clear that the prediction of the court astrologer came true and the young Drosselmeyer became the king in the doll kingdom.”

Reasoning in this way, clever Marie, who endowed the Nutcracker and his vassals with life and the ability to move, was convinced that they really were about to come to life and move. But that was not the case: everything in the closet stood motionless in its place. However, Marie did not even think of giving up her inner conviction - she simply decided that the witchcraft of Myshilda and her seven-headed son was the reason for everything.

“Although you are not able to move or utter a word, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer,” she said to the Nutcracker, “yet I am sure that you hear me and know how well I treat you. Count on my help when you need it. In any case, I will ask my uncle to help you, if need be, with his art!

The Nutcracker stood calmly and did not move from his place, but it seemed to Marie that a slight sigh passed through the glass cabinet, which made the glass tinkle a little, but surprisingly melodiously, and a thin, ringing voice, like a bell, sang: “Mary, my friend, my keeper! No need for torment - I will be yours.

Marie had goosebumps running down her back with fear, but, oddly enough, for some reason she was very pleased.

Twilight has come. The parents entered the room with their godfather Drosselmeyer. After a while Louisa served tea, and the whole family sat down at the table chatting merrily. Marie quietly brought her armchair and sat down at the feet of her godfather. Having seized a moment, when everyone was silent, Marie looked with her big blue eyes straight into the face of the senior councilor of the court and said:

“Now, dear godfather, I know that the Nutcracker is your nephew, young Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg. He became a prince, or rather, a king: it all happened just as your companion, the astrologer, foretold. But you know that he declared war on the son of Lady Mouselda, the ugly mouse king. Why don't you help him?

And Marie again told the whole course of the battle at which she was present, and often she was interrupted by the loud laughter of her mother and Louise. Only Fritz and Drosselmeyer remained serious.

“Where did the girl get such nonsense from?” the medical adviser asked.

“Well, she just has a rich imagination,” her mother replied. - In essence, this is nonsense generated by a strong fever. “All of this is not true,” said Fritz. - My hussars are not such cowards, otherwise I would have shown them!

But the godfather, smiling strangely, put little Marie on his knees and spoke more affectionately than usual:

“Ah, dear Marie, you have been given more than me and all of us. You, like Pirlipat, are a born princess: you rule a beautiful, bright kingdom. But you will have to endure a lot if you take under your protection the poor freak Nutcracker! After all, the mouse king guards him on all paths and roads. Know: not me, but you, you alone can save the Nutcracker. Be persistent and dedicated.

No one - neither Marie nor the rest understood what Drosselmeyer meant; and the adviser of medicine found the words of the godfather so strange that he felt his pulse and said:

- You, dear friend, have a strong rush of blood to the head: I will prescribe a medicine for you.

Only the wife of the medical adviser shook her head thoughtfully and remarked:

– I guess what Mr. Drosselmeyer means, but I can’t put it into words.

VICTORY

It's been a while, and somehow moonlit night Marie was awakened by a strange tapping that seemed to come from a corner, as if stones were being thrown and rolled there, and at times a nasty squeal and squeak was heard.

“Ay, mice, mice, there are mice again!” Marie screamed in fright and wanted to wake up her mother, but the words got stuck in her throat.

She could not even move, because she saw how the mouse king crawled out of a hole in the wall with difficulty and, sparkling with eyes and crowns, began to dart around the room; suddenly, with one leap, he jumped onto the table that stood right next to Marie's bed.

– Hee-hee-hee! Give me all the dragee, all the marzipan, silly, or I'll bite your Nutcracker, I'll bite your Nutcracker! - the mouse king squeaked and at the same time disgustedly creaked and gnashed his teeth, and then quickly disappeared into a hole in the wall.

Marie was so frightened by the appearance of the terrible mouse king that the next morning she was completely haggard and from excitement could not utter a word. A hundred times she was going to tell her mother, Louise, or at least Fritz about what had happened to her, but she thought: “Will anyone believe me? I'm just going to be laughed at."

However, it was quite clear to her that in order to save the Nutcracker, she would have to give the dragee and marzipan. So in the evening she put all her sweets on the bottom ledge of the closet. In the morning the mother said:

“I don’t know where the mice came from in our living room. Look, Marie, they have eaten all the sweets, poor things.

So it was. The gluttonous mouse king did not like the stuffed marzipan, but he gnawed it so sharply with his sharp teeth that the rest had to be thrown away. Marie did not regret the sweets at all: in the depths of her soul she rejoiced, because she thought that she had saved the Nutcracker. But what did she feel when the next night there was a squeak and squeal just above her ear! Ah, the mouse king was right there, and his eyes sparkled even more disgustingly than last night, and he squeaked even more disgustingly through his teeth:

“Give me your sugar dolls, silly, or I’ll bite your Nutcracker, I’ll bite your Nutcracker!”

And with these words, the terrible mouse king disappeared.

Marie was very upset. The next morning she went to the cupboard and looked sadly at the sugar and adragante dolls. And her grief was understandable, because you would not believe, my attentive listener Marie, what marvelous sugar figures Marie Stahlbaum had: a pretty little shepherd with a shepherdess grazed a flock of snow-white lambs, and their dog frolicked nearby; right there stood two postmen with letters in their hands and four very pretty couples - dapper young men and girls dressed to smithereens were swinging on a Russian swing. Then came the dancers, behind them stood Pachter Feldkümmel with the Virgin of Orleans, whom Marie did not really appreciate, and in the very corner stood a red-cheeked baby - Marie's favorite ... Tears gushed from her eyes.

“Ax, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer,” she exclaimed, turning to the Nutcracker, “what I won’t do just to save your life, but, oh, how hard it is!

However, the Nutcracker had such a plaintive look that Marie, who already imagined that the mouse king had opened all its seven jaws and wanted to swallow the unfortunate young man, decided to sacrifice everything for him.

So, in the evening, she put all the sugar dolls on the lower ledge of the cabinet, where she had previously put sweets. She kissed the shepherd, the shepherdess, the lambs; she was the last to take out her pet from the corner - a red-cheeked baby - and put him behind all the other dolls. Fsldkümmel and the Virgin of Orleans were in the front row.

- No, this is too much! Mrs. Stahlbaum exclaimed the next morning. - It can be seen that a large, gluttonous mouse is hosting in a glass cabinet: poor Marie has all the pretty sugar dolls gnawed and gnawed!

True, Marie could not help but cry, but soon she smiled through her tears, because she thought: “What can I do, but the Nutcracker is intact! "

In the evening, when the mother was telling Mr. Drosselmeyer about what the mouse had done in the children's closet, the father exclaimed:

- What a mess! I can't get rid of the nasty mouse that keeps house in the glass cabinet and eats all the sweets from poor Marie.

“Look,” Fritz said cheerfully, “downstairs, at the baker’s, there is a fine gray embassy adviser. I will take him upstairs to us: he will quickly finish this business and bite off the head of a mouse, whether it be Mousechild herself or her son, the mouse king.

- And at the same time he will jump on tables and chairs and break glasses and cups, and in general you will not get into trouble with him! - Laughing, finished the mother.

- No! Fritz objected. “This embassy adviser is a smart fellow. I wish I could walk on the roof like him!

“No, please don’t need a cat for the night,” Louise begged, who couldn’t stand cats.

“Actually, Fritz is right,” my father said. - In the meantime, you can put a mousetrap. Do we have mousetraps?

“The godfather will make us an excellent mousetrap: after all, he invented them!” cried Fritz.

Everyone laughed, and when Mrs. Stahlbaum said that there was not a single mousetrap in the house, Drosselmeyer declared that he had several of them, and, indeed, immediately ordered that an excellent mousetrap be brought from the house.

The godfather's tale of the hard nut came to life for Fritz and Marie. When the cook was frying the lard, Marie turned pale and trembled. Still absorbed in the fairy tale with its wonders, she once even said to the cook Dora, her old acquaintance:

“Ah, your Majesty the Queen, beware of Myshilda and her relatives!

And Fritz drew his saber and said:

“Just let them come, I’ll ask them!”

But both under the stove and on the stove everything was calm. When the senior councilor of the court tied a piece of bacon to a thin thread and carefully placed the mousetrap against the glass cabinet, Fritz exclaimed:

“Beware, watchmaker godfather, lest the mouse king play a cruel joke on you!”

Oh, what poor Marie had to do the next night! Ice paws ran down her arm, and something rough and nasty touched her cheek and squeaked and squealed right into her ear. On her shoulder sat a nasty mouse king; blood-red saliva flowed from his seven gaping mouths, and, gnashing his teeth, he hissed in the ear of Marie, numb with horror:

- I'll slip away - I'll sniff into the crack, I'll slip under the floor, I won't touch the fat, you know that. Come on, come on pictures, dress here, it's not a problem, I warn you: I'll catch the Nutcracker and bite ... Hee-hee! .. Wee-wee! …Quick-quick!

Marie was very sad, and when the next morning her mother said: “But the ugly mouse has not yet been caught! “- Marie turned pale and was alarmed, and her mother thought that the girl was sad about sweets and was afraid of the mouse.

“Come on, calm down, baby,” she said, “we will drive the nasty mouse away!” Mousetraps will not help - then let Fritz bring his gray embassy adviser.

As soon as Marie was left alone in the living room, she went to the glass cabinet and, sobbing, spoke to the Nutcracker:

“Ah, dear, kind Mr. Drosselmeyer! What can I do for you, poor, unfortunate girl? Well, I will give all my picture books to be eaten by the nasty mouse king, I will even give the beautiful new dress that the baby Christ gave me, but he will demand more and more from me, so that in the end I will have nothing left, and he , perhaps, will want to bite me instead of you. Oh, I'm a poor, poor girl! So what should I do, what should I do?!

While Marie was so grieving and crying, she noticed that the Nutcracker had a large bloody stain on his neck from last night. Ever since Marie found out that the Nutcracker was in fact the young Drosselmeyer, the nephew of the councilor of the court, she had stopped carrying him and cradling him, stopped caressing and kissing him, and she even felt embarrassed to touch him too often, but this time she she carefully took the Nutcracker from the shelf and carefully began to rub the bloody stain on her neck with a handkerchief. But how dumbfounded she was when she suddenly felt that her friend the Nutcracker in her hands warmed up and moved! She quickly put it back on the shelf. Then his lips parted, and the Nutcracker murmured with difficulty:

“O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, my faithful friend, how much I owe you! No, do not sacrifice for me picture books, a festive dress - get me a saber ... a saber! I'll take care of the rest, even if he...

Here the Nutcracker's speech was interrupted, and his eyes, which had just glowed with deep sadness, again dimmed and dimmed. Marie was not the least bit scared, on the contrary, she jumped for joy. Now she knew how to save the Nutcracker without making further heavy sacrifices. But where to get a saber for a little man?

Marie decided to consult with Fritz, and in the evening, when her parents went to visit and they were sitting together in the living room near the glass cabinet, she told her brother everything that had happened to her because of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King and on what the Nutcracker's salvation now depends.

Most of all, Fritz was upset that his hussars behaved badly during the battle, as it turned out according to Marie's story. He very seriously asked her if it was really so, and when Marie gave him her word of honor, Fritz quickly went to the glass case, turned to the hussars with a formidable speech, and then, as a punishment for selfishness and cowardice, cut off all of them cap badges and forbade them to play the life hussar march for a year. Having finished with the punishment of the hussars, he turned to Marie:

“I’ll help the Nutcracker get his saber: only yesterday I retired the old cuirassier colonel with a pension, and, therefore, he no longer needs his beautiful, sharp saber.

The colonel in question lived on a pension given to him by Fritz in the far corner, on the third shelf. Fritz took it out, untied a really smart silver saber and put it on the Nutcracker.

The next night, Marie could not close her eyes from anxiety and fear. At midnight she heard some strange turmoil in the living room - tinkling and rustling. Suddenly there was a voice: “Quick! "

- Mouse King! Mouse King! Marie screamed and jumped out of bed in horror.

Everything was quiet, but soon someone cautiously knocked on the door and a thin voice was heard:

– Priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, open the door and don’t be afraid of anything! Good, happy news.

Marie recognized the voice of young Drosselmeyer, put on her skirt and quickly opened the door. On the threshold stood the Nutcracker with a bloodied saber in his right hand, with a lit wax candle in his left. Seeing Marie, he immediately dropped to one knee and spoke thus:

- O beautiful lady! You alone breathed into me knightly courage and gave strength to my hand, so that I struck down the bold one who dared to offend you. The cunning mouse king has been defeated and bathes in his own blood! Deign to graciously accept trophies from the hands of a knight devoted to you to the grave.

With these words, the pretty Nutcracker very deftly shook off the seven golden crowns of the mouse king, which he strung on left hand, and gave them to Marie, who accepted them with joy.

The Nutcracker stood up and went on like this:

“Ah, my precious Mademoiselle Stahlbaum! What curiosities could I show you now that the enemy is defeated, if you would deign to follow me even a few steps! Oh, do it, do it, dear mademoiselle!

PUPPET KINGDOM

I think, children, each of you would not hesitate for a moment to follow the honest, kind Nutcracker, who could have nothing wrong in his mind. And Marie, even more so, because she knew that she had the right to count on the greatest gratitude from the Nutcracker, and was convinced that he would keep his word and show her many curiosities. That's why she said:

- I will go with you, Mr. Drosselmeyer, but only not far and not for long, since I have not slept at all yet.

“Then,” said the Nutcracker, “I will take the shortest, though not entirely convenient, route.

He went ahead. Marie is behind him. They stopped in the hall, at the old huge wardrobe. Marie noticed with surprise that the doors, usually locked, were open; she could clearly see her father's traveling fox coat, which hung right by the door. The Nutcracker very deftly climbed up the ledge of the closet and the carvings and grabbed a large tassel that dangled from a thick cord at the back of the fur coat. He pulled the brush with all his might, and immediately a graceful cedar-tree elk descended from the sleeve of his fur coat.

“Would you like to get up, most precious Mademoiselle Marie?” asked the Nutcracker.

Marie did just that. And before she had time to climb up through the sleeve, before she had time to look out from behind the collar, a dazzling light shone towards her, and she found herself in a beautiful fragrant meadow, which sparkled all over, like shining precious stones.

“We are in Candy Meadow,” said the Nutcracker. “Now let’s go through that gate.”

Only now, raising her eyes, did Marie notice a beautiful gate rising a few paces from her in the middle of the meadow; they seemed to be made of white and brown, speckled marble. When Marie came closer, she saw that it was not marble, but sugar-coated almonds and raisins, which is why the gate under which they passed was called, according to the Nutcracker, the Almond-Raisin Gate. The common people very impolitely called them the gates of gluttonous students. On the side gallery of this gate, apparently made of barley sugar, six monkeys in red jackets made up a wonderful military band, which played so well that Marie, without noticing it herself, walked further and further along the marble slabs, beautifully made of sugar. cooked with spices.

Soon, sweet fragrances wafted over her from the wonderful grove that sprawled on both sides. The dark foliage shone and sparkled so brightly that one could clearly see the golden and silver fruits hanging on multi-colored stems, and bows, and bouquets of flowers that adorned the trunks and branches, like a cheerful bride and groom and wedding guests. With every breath of marshmallows, saturated with the fragrance of oranges, a rustle rose in the branches and foliage, and the golden tinsel crunched and crackled, like jubilant music that carried the sparkling lights, and they danced and jumped.

“Oh, how wonderful it is here! Marie exclaimed in admiration.

“We are in the Christmas Forest, dear Mademoiselle,” said the Nutcracker.

Oh, how I wish I were here! It's so wonderful here! Marie exclaimed again.

The Nutcracker clapped his hands, and at once there appeared tiny shepherds and shepherds, hunters and hunters, so tender and white that one might have thought they were made of pure sugar. Although they were walking in the woods, for some reason Marie had not noticed them before. They brought a marvelously pretty golden armchair, put a white candy cushion on it, and very graciously invited Marie to sit down. And immediately the shepherds and shepherdesses performed a charming ballet, while the hunters, meanwhile, very skillfully blew their horns. Then they all disappeared into the bushes.

“Forgive me, dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum,” said the Nutcracker, forgive me for such pathetic dancing. But these are dancers from our puppet ballet - they only know that they repeat the same thing, and the fact that) the hunters blew their pipes so sleepily and lazily also has its own reasons. Bonbonnieres on Christmas trees, although they hang in front of their very noses, are too high. Now, would you like to go further?

- What are you talking about, the ballet was just lovely and I really liked it! Marie said, getting up and following the Nutcracker.

They walked along a stream that ran with a gentle murmur and babble and filled the whole forest with its wonderful fragrance.

“This is Orange Creek,” the Nutcracker answered Marie’s questions, “but, except for its wonderful aroma, it cannot be compared either in size or beauty with the Lemonade River, which, like it, flows into the Lake of Almond Milk.

And in fact, soon Marie heard a louder splash and murmur and saw a wide stream of lemonade, which rolled its proud light yellow waves among the bushes sparkling like emeralds. An unusually invigorating coolness, delighting the chest and heart, blew from the beautiful waters. Nearby, a dark yellow river flowed slowly, spreading an unusually sweet fragrance, and beautiful children sat on the shore, who fished for small fat fish and immediately ate them. As she got closer, Marie noticed that the fish looked like Lombard nuts. A little further on the coast lies a charming village. The houses, the church, the pastor's house, the barns were dark brown with golden roofs; and many of the walls were painted as garishly as if they had been plastered with almonds and candied lemons.

“This is the village of Gingerbread,” said the Nutcracker, “located on the banks of the Honey River. The people in it live beautiful, but very angry, as everyone there suffers from a toothache. We better not go there.

At the same instant, Marie noticed a beautiful town in which all the houses were completely colorful and transparent. The Nutcracker went straight there, and now Marie heard a chaotic cheerful hubbub and saw a thousand pretty little men dismantling and unloading the loaded carts crowded in the bazaar. And what they got out looked like motley multi-colored pieces of paper and chocolate bars.

“We are in Canfetenhausen,” said the Nutcracker, “just now messengers from the Paper Kingdom and from the Chocolate King have arrived. Not so long ago, the poor Confedenhausen were threatened by the mosquito admiral's army; so they cover their homes with the gifts of the Paper State and build fortifications from strong slabs sent by the chocolate king. But, invaluable Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, we cannot visit all the towns and villages of the country - to the capital, to the capital!

The Nutcracker hurried on, and Marie, burning with impatience, did not lag behind him. Soon a wondrous fragrance of roses wafted in, and everything seemed to be lit up with a gently shimmering pink glow. Marie noticed that it was a reflection of pink-red waters, with a sweetly melodious sound, splashing and murmuring at her feet. The waves kept coming and coming, and finally turned into a large beautiful lake, on which wonderful silver-white swans with golden ribbons around their necks swam and sang beautiful songs, and diamond fish, as if in a cheerful dance, dived and somersaulted in pink waves.

“Ah,” Marie exclaimed in delight, “but this is the same lake that my godfather once promised me to make!” And I am the same girl who was supposed to play with the pretty swans.

The Nutcracker smiled as mockingly as he had never smiled before, and then said:

“Uncle would never make anything like that. Rather, you, dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum ... But is it worth thinking about this! Better to cross the Pink Lake to the other side, to the capital.

CAPITAL

The Nutcracker clapped his hands again. The pink lake rustled more, the waves came higher, and Marie saw in the distance two golden-scaled dolphins harnessed to a shell, shining with gems bright as the sun. Twelve adorable little blacks in caps and pinafores woven from iridescent hummingbird feathers jumped ashore and, gliding lightly over the waves, carried first Marie, and then the Nutcracker into the shell, which immediately rushed across the lake.

Oh, how wonderful it was to swim in a shell, perfumed with the fragrance of roses and washed by pink waves! The golden-scaled dolphins raised their muzzles and began to throw crystal jets high up, and when these jets fell from the heights in sparkling and sparkling arcs, it seemed as if two lovely, soft silvery voices were singing:

“Who swims in the lake? Water Fairy! Mosquitoes, doo-doo-doo! Fish, splash-splash! Swans, shine-shine! Miracle bird, tra-la-la! Waves, sing, blowing, melaya, - a fairy floats to us on roses; frisky trickle, shoot up - to the sun, up! "

But the twelve Arabs, who jumped into the shell from behind, apparently did not like the singing of water jets at all. They shook their umbrellas so much that the leaves of the date palms, from which they were woven, crumpled and bent, and the blacks beat some unknown rhythm with their feet and sang:

“Top-and-tip and tip-and-top, clap-clap-clap! We are in a round dance on the waters! Birds, fish - for a walk, following the shell with a boom! Top-and-tip and tip-and-top, clap-clap-clap! "

- Arapchata - very cheerful people, - said the somewhat embarrassed Nutcracker, - but no matter how they stirred up the whole lake for me!

Indeed, soon there was a loud roar: amazing voices seemed to float above the lake. But Marie paid no attention to them, she looked into the fragrant waves, from where lovely girlish faces smiled at her.

“Ah,” she cried joyfully, clapping her hands, “look, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer: Princess Pirlipat is there!” She smiles at me so kindly... But look, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer!

But the Nutcracker sighed sadly and said:

“O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, this is not Princess Pirlipat, this is you. Only you yourself, only your own pretty face smiles tenderly from every wave.

Then Marie quickly turned away, closed her eyes tightly, and was completely embarrassed. At the same moment, twelve blacks picked her up and carried her from the shell to the shore. She found herself in a small forest, which was, perhaps, even more beautiful than the Christmas forest, everything here shone and sparkled; especially remarkable were the rare fruits that hung on the trees, rare not only in color, but also in their wonderful fragrance.

“We are in the Candied Grove,” said the Nutcracker, “and over there is the capital.

Oh, what did Marie see! How can I describe to you, children, the beauty and splendor of the city that appeared before Marie's eyes, which spread wide on a luxurious meadow dotted with flowers? It shone not only with the iridescent colors of the walls and towers, but also with the bizarre shape of buildings that did not at all look like ordinary houses. Artfully woven wreaths overshadowed them instead of roofs, and the towers were entwined with such lovely colorful garlands that it is impossible to imagine.

When Marie and the Nutcracker passed through the gate, which seemed to be made of almond biscuits and candied fruit, silver soldiers took guard, and a little man in a brocade dressing gown hugged the Nutcracker with the words:

“Welcome, dear prince!” Welcome to Confetenburg!

Marie was very surprised that such a noble nobleman calls Mr. Drosselmeyer a prince. But then they heard the hubbub of thin voices, noisily interrupting each other, the sounds of jubilation and laughter, singing and music, and Marie, forgetting everything, immediately asked the Nutcracker what it was.

“O dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum,” answered the Nutcracker, “there is nothing to marvel at here: Konfetenburg is a crowded, cheerful city, there is fun and noise every day. Kindly let's move on.

After a few steps they found themselves in a large, surprisingly beautiful market square. All houses were decorated with openwork sugar galleries. In the middle, like an obelisk, rose a glazed sweet cake sprinkled with sugar, and around four elaborate fountains jets of lemonade, orchad, and other delicious refreshing drinks spouted upward. The pool was full of whipped cream, which I wanted to scoop up with a spoon. But most charming of all were the charming little men who crowded here in multitudes. They had fun, laughed, joked and sang; it was their merry hubbub that Marie heard from afar.

There were elegantly dressed cavaliers and ladies, Armenians and Greeks, Jews and Tyroleans, officers and soldiers, and monks, and shepherds, and clowns - in a word, every people that one can meet in the world. In one place on the corner there was a terrible uproar: the people rushed in all directions, because just at that time the Great Mogul was carried in a palanquin, accompanied by ninety-three nobles and seven hundred slaves. But it had to happen that on the other corner a guild of fishermen, in the amount of five hundred people, staged a solemn procession, and, unfortunately, the Turkish sultan just took it into his head to ride, accompanied by three thousand Janissaries, through the bazaar; besides, she was advancing right on the sweet cake with ringing music and singing: “Glory to the mighty sun, glory! “- the procession of the “interrupted solemn sacrifice”. Well, the same confusion, hustle and squeal! Soon groans were heard, because in the confusion a fisherman knocked off the head of a Brahmin, and the Great Mogul was nearly crushed by a buffoon. The noise grew wilder and wilder, a jostle and a fight had already begun, but then a man in a brocade dressing gown, the same one who had welcomed the Nutcracker as a prince at the gate, climbed onto the cake and, pulling the ringing bell three times, shouted loudly three times: “Confectioner! Confectioner! Confectioner! “The hustle and bustle subsided instantly; everyone escaped as best they could, and after the tangled processions were unraveled, when the dirty Great Mogul was cleaned out and the head of the Brahmin was put on again, the interrupted noisy fun began again.

- What is the matter with the confectioner, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer? Marie asked.

“Ah, priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, here they call a confectioner an unknown, but very terrible force, which, according to local belief, can do whatever it pleases with a person, - answered the Nutcracker, - this is the fate that rules over this cheerful people, and the inhabitants are so afraid of him that the mere mention of his name can calm down the biggest hustle, as the burgomaster has now proved. Then no one thinks about earthly things, about cuffs and bumps on the forehead, everyone plunges into himself and says: “What is a person and what can he turn into?”

A loud cry of surprise - no, a cry of delight escaped Marie when she suddenly found herself in front of a castle with a hundred towers in the air, glowing with a pink-red glow. Luxurious bouquets of violets, daffodils, tulips, and gillyflowers were scattered here and there on the walls, which set off the dazzling, scarlet whiteness of the background. The great dome of the central building and the gabled roofs of the towers were studded with thousands of stars glittering in gold and silver.

“Here we are at the Marzipan Castle,” said the Nutcracker.

Marie did not take her eyes off the magical palace, but still she noticed that one large tower was missing a roof, which, apparently, was being restored by little men standing on a platform of cinnamon. Before she had time to ask the Nutcracker a question, he said:

- More recently, the castle was threatened with a big disaster, and maybe even complete ruin. The giant Sweet Tooth passed by. He quickly bit off the roof of that tower and set to work on the large dome, but the inhabitants of Konfetenburg propitiated him, offering him a quarter of the city and a significant part of the Candied Grove as a ransom. He ate them and moved on.

Suddenly, very pleasant, gentle music sounded softly. The gates of the castle swung open, and from there came out twelve crumbs of pages with lit torches from carnation stalks in their handles. Their heads were made of pearls, their bodies were made of rubies and emeralds, and they moved on golden legs of skillful work. They were followed by four ladies of almost the same height as Clerchen, in unusually luxurious and brilliant dresses; Marie instantly recognized them as born princesses. They tenderly embraced the Nutcracker and at the same time exclaimed with sincere joy:

“O prince, dear prince! Dear brother!

The Nutcracker was completely moved: he wiped away the tears that often came to his eyes, then took Marie by the hand and solemnly announced:

“Here is Mademoiselle Marie Stahlbaum, daughter of a very worthy medical adviser and my savior. If she hadn’t thrown a shoe at the right moment, if she hadn’t got me the saber of a retired colonel, the nasty mouse king would have killed me, and I would already be lying in the grave. O Mademoiselle Stahlbaum! Can Pirlipat compare with her in beauty, dignity and virtue, despite the fact that she is a born princess? No, I say, no!

All the ladies exclaimed: “No! - and, sobbing, began to hug Marie.

“O noble savior of our beloved royal brother! O incomparable Mademoiselle Stahlbaum!

Then the ladies took Marie and the Nutcracker to the chambers of the castle, to the hall, the walls of which were entirely made of crystal shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. But what Marie liked most of all were the pretty chairs, chests of drawers, secretaires, made of cedar and Brazilian wood, inlaid with golden flowers, arranged there.

The princesses persuaded Marie and the Nutcracker to sit down and said that they would immediately prepare a treat for them with their own hands. They immediately took out various pots and bowls made of the finest Japanese porcelain, spoons, knives, forks, graters, saucepans and other gold and silver kitchen utensils. Then they brought such wonderful fruits and sweets as Marie had never seen, and very gracefully began to squeeze fruit juice with their lovely snow-white hands, crush spices, rub sweet almonds - in a word, they began to be such a nice host that Marie realized what skillful people they were in culinary business. and what a sumptuous meal awaits her. Knowing perfectly well that she also understood something of this, Marie secretly wished to take part in the princesses' lessons herself. The most beautiful of the Nutcracker sisters, as if guessing Marie's secret desire, handed her a small golden mortar and said:

- My dear girlfriend, the invaluable savior of my brother, the ceilings are a little caramel.

While Marie was merrily banging the pestle, so that the mortar rang melodiously and pleasantly, no worse than a lovely song, the Nutcracker began to tell in detail about the terrible battle with the hordes of the mouse king, about how he was defeated because of the cowardice of his troops, like then the nasty mouse king I wanted to kill him at all costs, as Marie had to sacrifice many of his subjects who were in her service ...

During the story, it seemed to Marie that the words of the Nutcracker and even her own blows with a pestle sounded more and more muffled, more and more indistinct, and soon a silver veil covered her eyes - as if light puffs of fog rose into which the princesses plunged ... pages ... The Nutcracker ... she herself ... Somewhere - then something rustled, murmured and sang; strange sounds vanished into the distance. The rising waves carried Mari higher and higher...higher and higher...higher and higher...

CONCLUSION

Ta-ra-ra-boo! - and Marie fell from an incredible height. That was the push! But Marie immediately opened her eyes. She lay in her bed. It was quite light, and my mother stood nearby and said:

- Well, how long can you sleep! Breakfast has been on the table for a long time.

My dear listeners, of course, you have already understood that Marie, stunned by all the miracles she saw, finally fell asleep in the hall of the Marzipan Castle and that the blacks or pages, or maybe the princesses themselves, carried her home and put her to bed.

“Ah, mother, my dear mother, where have I not been this night with young Mr. Drosselmeyer! What miracles have not seen enough!

And she told everything in almost the same detail as I had just told, and my mother listened and was surprised.

When Marie had finished, her mother said:

“You, dear Marie, had a long beautiful dream. But get it all out of your head.

Marie stubbornly insisted that she saw everything not in a dream, but in reality. Then her mother led her to a glass cabinet, took out the Nutcracker, who, as always, stood on the second shelf, and said:

- Oh, you silly, where did you get that wooden Nuremberg doll can talk and move?

“But, mommy,” Marie interrupted her, “I know that little Nutcracker is a young Mr. Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg, the godfather’s nephew!”

Here both - both father and mother - laughed out loud.

“Ah, now you, daddy, are laughing at my Nutcracker,” Marie continued almost in tears, “and he spoke so well of you!” When we arrived at the Marzipan Castle, he introduced me to the princesses - his sisters - and said that you are a very worthy adviser to medicine!

The laughter only intensified, and now Louise and even Fritz joined the parents. Then Marie ran to the Other Room, quickly took out the seven crowns of the mouse king from her casket and gave them to her mother with the words:

“Here, mother, look: here are the seven crowns of the mouse king, which young Mr. Drosselmeyer presented to me last night as a sign of his victory!”

Mom looked with surprise at tiny crowns made of some unfamiliar, very shiny metal and such fine workmanship that it could hardly be the work of human hands. Herr Stahlbaum also couldn't get enough of the crowns. Then both father and mother strictly demanded that Marie confess where she got the crowns from, but she stood her ground.

When her father began to scold her and even called her a liar, she burst into bitter tears and began to mournfully say:

- Oh, I'm poor, poor! Well, what should I do?

But then the door suddenly opened, and the godfather entered.

- What's happened? What's happened? - he asked. – My goddaughter Marihen cries and sobs? What's happened? What's happened?

Dad told him what happened and showed him the tiny crowns. The senior counselor of the court, as soon as he saw them, laughed and exclaimed:

“Stupid ideas, stupid ideas! Why, these are the crowns that I once wore on a watch chain, and then gave Marihen on her birthday, when she was two years old! Have you forgotten?

Neither father nor mother could remember it.

When Marie was convinced that the faces of her parents had again become affectionate, she ran up to her godfather and exclaimed:

- Godfather, you know everything! Tell me that my Nutcracker is your nephew, young Herr Drosselmeyer of Nuremberg, and that he gave me these tiny crowns.

The godfather frowned and muttered:

- Stupid ideas!

Then the father took little Marie aside and said very sternly:

“Listen, Marie, stop making up stories and stupid jokes once and for all! And if you say again that the ugly Nutcracker is your godfather's nephew, I will throw out the window not only the Nutcracker, but all the other dolls, not excluding Mamselle Clerchen.

Now poor Marie, of course, did not dare to say a word about what was overflowing in her heart; because you understand that it was not so easy for Marie to forget all the wonderful miracles that happened to her. Even, dear reader or listener, Fritz, even your comrade Fritz Stahlbaum immediately turned his back on his sister as soon as she was about to tell about the wonderful country where she felt so good. It is said that sometimes he even muttered through his teeth: “Stupid girl! “But, having long known his good disposition, I just can’t believe it; in any case, it is known for certain that, no longer believing a word in Marie’s stories, he formally apologized to his hussars for the offense in a public parade, pinned them, instead of the lost insignia, even taller and more magnificent plumes of goose feathers, and again allowed the leib to blow - hussar march. Well, we know what the courage of the hussars was when disgusting bullets planted spots on their red uniforms.

Marie no longer dared to talk about her adventure, but the magical images of the fairyland did not leave her. She heard gentle rustling, gentle, enchanting sounds; she saw everything again as soon as she began to think about it, and instead of playing, as she used to, she could sit quietly and quietly for hours, withdrawing into herself - that's why everyone now called her a little dreamer.

It once happened that the godfather was repairing clocks at the Stahlbaums. Marie was sitting near the glass cabinet and, daydreaming, looked at the Nutcracker. And suddenly she burst out:

“Ah, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, if you really lived, I would not reject you, like Princess Pirlipat, because you lost your beauty because of me!”

The counselor of the court immediately shouted:

- Well, well, stupid inventions!

But at the same moment there was such a roar and crack that Marie fell unconscious from her chair. When she woke up, her mother fussed around her and said:

- Well, is it possible to fall from a chair? Such a big girl! The nephew of the senior councilor of the court has just arrived from Nuremberg, be smart.

She raised her eyes: her godfather again put on his glass wig, put on a yellow frock coat and smiled contentedly, and by the hand he held, it is true, a small, but very well-built young man, white and ruddy as blood and milk, in a magnificent red, embroidered gold caftan, in shoes and white silk stockings. What a pretty bunch of charms was pinned to his jabot, his hair was carefully curled and powdered, and an excellent braid descended along his back. The tiny sword at his side gleamed like it was all studded with precious stones, and under his arm he held a silk hat.

The young man showed his pleasant disposition and good manners by giving Marie a whole bunch of wonderful toys and, above all, delicious marzipan and dolls in exchange for those that the mouse king had gnawed, and Fritz a wonderful saber. At the table, a kind young man cracked nuts for the whole company. The hardest ones were nothing to him; with his right hand he put them in his mouth, with his left he pulled his braid, and - click! - the shell broke into small pieces.

Marie blushed all over when she saw the courteous young man, and when, after dinner, young Drosselmeyer invited her to go into the living room, to the glass cabinet, she became crimson.

- Go, go, play, children, just look do not quarrel. Now that all my watches are in order, I have nothing against it! the senior adviser of the court admonished them.

As soon as young Drosselmeyer found himself alone with Marie, he knelt down on one knee and made this speech:

“O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, look: at your feet is the happy Drosselmeyer, whose life you saved on this very spot. You deigned to say that you would not reject me like the nasty Princess Pirlipat if I became a freak because of you. Immediately I ceased to be a miserable Nutcracker and regained my former appearance, not without pleasantness. O excellent Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, make me happy with your worthy hand! Share the crown and throne with me, we will reign together in the Marzipan Castle.

Mari lifted the young man from his knees and said quietly:

- Dear Mr. Drosselmeyer! You are a meek, kind-hearted person, and besides, you still reign in a beautiful country inhabited by a lovely cheerful people - well, how can I not agree that you should be my bridegroom!

And Marie immediately became the bride of Drosselmeyer. They say that a year later he took her away in a golden carriage drawn by silver horses, that twenty-two thousand elegant dolls, sparkling with diamonds and pearls, danced at their wedding, and Marie, as they say, is still queen in a country where, if only you have eyes, you will see sparkling candied groves everywhere, transparent marzipan castles - in a word, all sorts of miracles and curiosities.

Here's a fairy tale about the Nutcracker and the Mouse King.