The next day she was as good as her word, arriving to the very minute. It was the little Marionette who was not in time. It was quite five minutes before she tripped up the counter and greeted her little friend. The little girl looked at her with some reproach.
“It is you who are late, not I,” she said.
“Is it?” replied the little Marionette. “Well, I am ashamed. However, here I am now, so I will begin at once to tell you my tale.”
And settling herself down, and smoothing out her beautiful brocade dress, she began without further ado, the story of:
“The Officer and the Elephant.”
Amongst all the Toys in the toy-shop, none were so disliked and feared as the twelve Wooden Soldiers who, with an imposing Officer at their head, proudly faced the world in double file.
In the first place, they were intensely proud and vain. They showed this in everything they did. For example, their drill was of the most simple description. It merely consisted in their moving backwards and forwards from one another on a platform of sticks, which could be drawn out or in at pleasure.