"'But you must admit, Marie,' said her godpapa, 'that Nutcracker is far from being what you might call a handsome fellow, and you can't say he has a pretty face. If you like I'll tell you how it was that the ugliness came into his family, and has been handed down in it from one generation to another. Did ever you hear about the Princess Pirlipat, the witch Mouseyrinks, and the clever Clockmaker?'
"I say, Godpapa Drosselmeier,' interrupted Fritz at this juncture, 'you've put Nutcracker's teeth in again all right, and his jaw isn't wobbly as it was; but what's become of his sword? Why haven't you given him a sword?'
"Oh,' cried Drosselmeier, annoyed, 'you must always be bothering and finding fault with something or other, boy. What have I to do with Nutcracker's sword? I've put his mouth to rights for him; he must look out for a sword for himself.'
"Yes, yes,' said Fritz, 'so he must, of course, if he's a right sort of fellow.'
"'So tell me, Marie,' continued Drosselmeier, 'if you know the story of Princess Pirlipat?'
"'Oh no,' said Marie. 'Tell it me, please--do tell it me!'
"'I hope it won't be as strange and terrible as your stories generally are,' said her mother.
"'Oh no, nothing of the kind,' said Drosselmeier. 'On the contrary, it's quite a funny story which I'm going to have the honour of telling this time.'
"'Go on then--do tell it to us,' cried the children; and Drosselmeier commenced as follows:--