 Chapter 12 of Not Cracker and Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Aida, the puppet kingdom. I believe that none of you children would have hesitated for an instant to follow the good honest Not Cracker, who could never have meditated any ever. Maria consented to follow him so much the more readily. Because she knew what claims she had upon his gratitude, and because she was convinced that he would keep his word, and show her many beautiful things. I will go with you, Master Drosselmaier, she said. But it must not be far, and it must not be long, for as yet I have hardly had any sleep. I will choose then, replied Not Cracker. The nearest, though a more difficult way. He went onward, and Maria followed him until he stopped before a large antique wardrobe which stood in the hall, Maria perceived to her astonishment that the doors of this wardrobe, which were always kept locked, now stood wide open, so that she could see her father's fox furred traveling coat, which hang in front. Not Cracker clambered very nimbly up by the curved figures and ornaments, until he cooled the grass with a large tassel which hung down the back of the coat, and was fastened to eat by a thick curd. As soon as Not Cracker pulled up on the tassel, a neat little stares of cedar wood stretched down from the sleeve of the traveling coat to the floor. Sand, if you please. The rest means, cried Not Cracker. Maria did so, but scarcely had she gone up the sleeve, scarcely had she seen her way out at the collar. When a dazzling light broke forth upon her, and all at once she stood upon a sweet smelling meadow, surrounded by millions of sparks, which darted up like flashing jaws. We are now upon Candy Meadow, said Not Cracker. But we will directly pass through Yander Gate. When Maria looked up, she saw the beautiful gate which stood a few steps before them upon the meadow. It seemed built of vargated marble, of white, brown, and raisin color. But when Maria came nearer, she perceived that the whole mass consisted of sugar, almond, and raisins, knitted and baked together, for which reason the gate as Not Cracker assured her when they passed through it, was called the almond and raisin gate. Upon a gallery built over the gate, made apparently of barely sugar, there were six apes in red jackets who struck up the finest Turkish music, which was ever heard. So that Maria scarcely observed that they were working on word and on word, over a rich mosaic which was nothing else, then a pavement of a nicely inlaid lozenges. Very soon, the sweetest odors streamed around them, which were wooved from a wonderful little wood that opened on each side before them. There it shone and sparkled so, among the dark leaves that the golden and silvery fruit could gladly be seen hanging from their gaily colored stems, while the trunks and branches were ornamented with ribbons and noisy gaze. And when the orange perfume stirred and moved like a soft breeze, how it rustled among the boughs and leaves. And the golden fruit rocked and rattled in merry music. To wish the bright, dancing sparkles kept time. Ah, how delightful it is here! cried Maria in trunks in happiness. We are in Christmas wood, best miss, said Nutcracker. Ah, if I could but linger here a while, cried Maria. Oh, it is too, too charming. Nutcracker clapped his hands and some little chafferdas and chafferdases and hanters and hanteresses came near, who were so delicate and white that they seemed made of pure sugar. They brought a dainty little armed chair all of gold. Laid upon it a green cushion of candied citrine and invited Maria very politely to sit down. She did so and immediately the chafferdas and chafferdases danced a very pretty ballet, while the hanters, very oblongly, blew their horns and then all disappeared again in the bushes. Pardon, pardon, kindest Mr. Halbom, said Nutcracker. The dance was miserably performed, but the people all belong to our company of wire dancers and they can do nothing but the same, same thing. They are deficient in variety and the hanters blew so dull and lazily. But shall we not walk a little farther? Ah, it was all very pretty and pleased me very much, said Maria. As she rose and fell out Nutcracker. They now walked along by a soft rustling brook, out of which all the sweet perfume seemed to arise, which filled the whole wood. This is the orange brook, said Nutcracker. But it's fine perfume, except it cannot compare either in size or beauty with lemonade river, which like it empties into orget lake. In fact, Maria very soon heard a louder rustling and dashing and then beheld the broad lemonade river, which rolled in proud cream colored bellows between banks covered with bright green bushes. A refreshing coolness rose out of its nubble waves. Not far off, a dark yellow stream dragged itself lazily along, but it gave forth a very sweet odor. And a great number of little children sat on the shore angling for little fish, which they ate up as soon as cut. When Maria came nearer, she observed that these fish were shaped almost like peanuts. At a distance, there was a very neat little village on the borders of this stream. Houses, churches, personages, barns were all dark brown, but many of the roofs were gilded and some of the walls were painted so strangely that it seemed as if a little sugar plums and beads of citron were stuck upon them. That is gingerbread veal, said notcracker, which lies on molasses river. Very pretty people live in it, but they are a little ill-tampered. Because they suffer a good deal from the toothache, and so we will not visit it. At this moment, Maria observed a little town in which the houses were clear and transparent and of different colors, which was a very pretty sight to look at. Notcracker went straight forward towards it, and now Maria heard a busy merry-clatter and saw a thousand tiny little figures collected around some heavily laden wagons, which had stopped in the market. These they unloaded, and what they took out looked like sheets of colored paper and chocolate cakes. We are now in Bonbon Town, said notcracker. An importation had just arrived from Paperland and from King Chocolate. The poor people of Bonbon Town are often terribly threatened by the armies of generals, fly and nut, for which reason they fortified their houses with stout materials from Paperland, and threw up fortifications of the strong bulwarks, which King Chocolate sent to them. Bad words, yes, Mr. Halbom. We will not visit all the little towns and villages of this land. To the capital, to the capital. Notcracker hastened forward, and Maria fell out full of curiosity. It was not long before a sweet odour of roses enveloped them, and everything around was touched with a soft rose-colored tint. Maria soon observed that this was the reflection of the red glancing lake, which rustled and danced before them, with charming and meridious tones in little rosy waves. Beautiful silver-white swans with golden colors swam over the lake, singing sweet tones, while little diamond fish dipped up and down in the rosy water. As if in the merriest dance. Ah, exclaimed Maria ardently. This is then the lake which Godfather Drosselmeyer was most going to make for me. And I myself am the maiden who is to fondle and carries the deer's swans. Notcracker laughed in a scornful manner, such as Maria had never observed in him before, and then said, Godfather Drosselmeyer can never make anything like this. You, you, yourself, rather sweet as Mr. Halbom. But we will not trouble our heads about that. Let us sail across the rose lake to the capital. End of chapter 12. Chapter 13 of Notcracker and Mouseking by E.T. A. Hoffman. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Aida. The Capital. Notcracker clapped his little hands together again when the rose lake began to dash louder. The waves rolled higher, and Maria perceived a car of shells covered with bright sparkling gay-colored jaws, moving toward them in the distance, drawn by two golden-scaled dolphins. Twelve of the loveliest little moors, with cups and aprons, braided of hummingbird's fetters, leaped up on the shore, and carried first Maria and then Notcracker with a soft gliding step over the waves, and placed them in the car, which straightway began to move across the lake. Ah how delightful it was as Maria sailed along, with the rosy air and the rosy waves breathing and dashing around her. The two golden-scaled dolphins raised up their heads, and spotted clear crystal streams out of their nostrils high, high in the air, which fell down again in a thousand quivering, flashing green bows, and it seemed as if two small silver voices sang out. Who sails upon the rosy lake? The little fairy, awake, awake, music and song, beam, beam, fishes, seam, seam, swans, twit, twit, birds, whiz, whiz, breezes, rustling, ringing, singing, blowing, a fairy hour. The waves is going, rosy, billows, murmuring, playing, dashing, cooling the air, roll along, along. But the singing of the falling phantoms did not seem to please the twelve little moors, who were seated up behind the car, for they shook their parasols so hard that the palm leaves of which there were made rattled and clattered, and they stamped with their feet in very strange time and sang. Clap and clip and clip and clap, backward and forward, up and down. Moors are a merry foe, said not cracker, somewhat disturbed, but they will make the whole lake rebellious. And very soon there arose a confused dean of strange voices, which seemed to float in the sea and in the air. But Maria did not hit them, for she was gazing in the sweet scent and rosy waves, out of which the face of charming little maiden smiled up upon her. Ah, she cried joyfully and struck her hands together. Look, look, there mastered Russell Meyer. There is the princess pearly pat down in the water. Oh, how sweetly she smiles upon me. Not cracker sighed quite sorrowfully, and said, oh, kind as Mr. Halbom, that is not the princess pearly pat. It is you, you, it is your own lovely face that smiles so sweetly out of the rose lay. Up on this, Maria drew her head back very quickly, put her hands before her face, and blushed very much. At this moment she was lifted out of the car by the 12 Moors and carried to the shore. They now found themselves in a little ticket, which was perhaps more beautiful even than the Christmas wood. It was so bright and sparkling. What was most wonderful in it were the strange fruits that hang upon the trees, which were not only curiously colored, but gave out also every kind of sweet odor. We are in sweet meat grove, said not cracker. But yonder is the capital. And what a sight, how can I venture children to describe the beauty and splendor of the city, which now displayed itself to Maria's eyes. Up on the road, flowery meadow, before them. Not only did the walls and towers glitter with the gayest colors, but the style of the building was like nothing else that is to be found in the world. Instead of roofs, the houses had yet them set upon them, braided and twisted in the diantest manner. And the towers were crowned with variegated, trellous work, and hanged with fastens the most beautiful that ever were seen. As they passed through the gate, which looked as if it were build of macarons and candied fruits, silver soldiers presented arms, and a little man in a brocade dressing gown threw himself upon that cracker's neck, with the words, Welcome best prince, welcome to the confection veal. Maria was not a little astonished to hear young Russell Meyer called a prince by such a distinguished man, but she now heard such a hubbub of little voices, such a hezeing and laughter, such a singing and playing that she could think of nothing else, and turned to not cracker to ask him what it all meant. Oh, what, yes, Mr. Halbaum, it is nothing uncommon. Confection veal is a populous and a merry city, thus it goes here every day. Let us walk faster, if you please. They had only gone a few steps when they came to the great marked place, which presented a wonderful sight. All the houses around were of sugared filagri work, gallery was built over gallery, and in the middle stood a tall obelisk of white and red sugared cream, while four curious sweet fantans played in the air of orget lemonade, mead, and soda water, and in the great basin were soft, bruised fruits, mixed with sugar and cream, and touched a little by the frost. But prettier than all, these were the charming little people, who by thousand pushed and squeezed, knocked their heads together, his head laughed, gestured, and sang, who had raised indeed that merry gene which Maria had heard at a distance. Here were beautifully dressed, men and women, Armenians, and Greek Jews, and Tyrolis, officers and soldiers, priests, shepherds, and hallow queens, ensured all the people then can possibly be found in the world. On one corner, the chimmel increased, the people rocked and reeled to clear the way. For just at that moment, the grand mogul was carried by an opulent queen, attended by 93 grandees of the kingdom, and 700 slaves. Now, in the opposite corner, the fishermen 500 strong were marching in procession, and it happened, very unfortunately, that the grand Turk took it into his head just then to ride over the marked place with 3,000 Janissaries, besides which a long train came from the festival of sacrifices, with sending music, singing, up, and thank the mighty sun, and pushed straight one for the obelisk. Then, what a squeezing, and a pushing, and a rattling, and a clattering, by and by a screaming was heard. For a fisherman had knocked off a brahman's head in the crowd, and the great mogul was almost run over. By a hallow queen, the chimmel to grew wilder and wilder, and they had commenced to beat and strike each other. When the men in the brocade, dressing gown, who had called not crackle a prince at the gate, clambered up by the obelisk, and having tries pulled a little bell, called out three times. Confessor, confessor, confessor. The chimmel was immediately appeased, each one tried to help himself as well as he could, and after the confused trains and processions were set in order, and the dirt opened the great mogul's which brushed off, and the brahman's head put on again. The former hubbub began anew. What do they mean by confessor? Good master Drosselmaier asked Maria. Ah, best Mr. Halbomber replied not cracker. By confessor is meant and unknown, but very fearful power, which they believe can do with them as he pleases. It is the fight that rules over these many little people, and they fear it so much that the mere mention of the name is able to steal the greatest chimmel. Each one then thinks no longer of anything earthly, of calves and kicks and broken heads, but retires within himself and says, What are we, and what is our destiny? Maria could not refrain from a loud exclamation of surprise and wonder. As all at once they stood before a castle, glimmering with a rosy light, and crowned with a hundred eerie towers. Beautiful noise gaze of violets, nurses, tulips, and ehlias were hanged about the walls, and their dark, glowing colors only heightened the dazzling rose tinted, white ground upon which they were fastened. The lush copula of the center building and the sloping roofs of the towers were spangled with a thousand gold and silver stars. We are now in front of March Pain Castle, said not cracker. Maria was completely lost in admiration of this magic palace, yet it did not escape her that one of the large towers was, without a roof, while little men were moving around it upon a scaffolding of cinnamon, as if busy in repairing it. But before she had time to inquire about it, not cracker continued. Not long ago, this beautiful castle was written with serious injury. If not with entire distraction, the giant sweet tooth came this way and bit off the roof of yonder tower, and was knowing upon the great copula. When the people of Confectionville gave up to him a full quarter of the city, and a considerable portion of sweet meat to grow, as tribute with wish he contented himself and went his way. At this moment, soft music was heard, the doors of the palace opened, and twelve little pages marched out with lighted gloves, which they carried in their hands, like torches. Each of their heads was a pearl, their bodies were made of rubies and emeralds, and they walked upon feet cast out of pure gold. Four ladies fell out them almost as tall as Maria's Clara. But so richly and splendidly dressed, that she saw in a moment that they were princesses born. They embraced not cracker in the tenderest manner, and cried with joyful sobs. Oh my prince, my best prince, oh my brother. Not cracker seemed very much moved, he wiped the tears out of his eyes, then took Maria by the hand and said with a great emotion. This is Miss Maria Stahalba, the daughter of a much respected and very wealthy physician, and she is the preserver of my life. Had she not thrown her shoe at the right time, had she not supplied me with the sword of a penchant colonel, I should now be lying in my grave, torn and bitten to pieces by the terrible masking. View her, gaze upon her, and tell me if Pellipat Aldo, a princess by birth, can compare with her in beauty, goodness, and virtue. No, I say no. And all the ladies cried out, no. And then fell upon Maria's neck, exclaiming, Ah, dear preserver of the prince, our beloved brother. Charming Miss Maria Stahalba. She now accompanied these ladies and not cracker into the castle, and entered a room. The walls of which were of bright colored crystal, but of all the beautiful things which Maria saw here, what pleased her most were the nice little chairs, sofas, secretaries, and birrows, with which the room was furnished, and which were all made of cedar or brazil wood, and ornamented with golden flowers. The princesses made Maria and not cracker sit down, and said that they would immediately prepare something for them to eat. They then brought out a great many little cups, and saucers, and plates and dishes, all of the finest personnel, and spoons, knives, and forks, graters, kettles, paints, and other kitchen furniture, all of gold and silver. Then they brought the finest fruits and sugar things such as Maria had never seen before, and began in the nicest manner to squeeze. The fruits with their little snow white hands, and to pound the spice and grate the sugar almonds in shirt, serve to turn, and handle everything. That Maria could see how well the princesses had been brought up, and what a delicious meal they were preparing. As she desired very much to learn such things, she could not help wishing to herself that she might assist the princesses in the labor. The most beautiful of not cracker's sisters, as if she had guessed Maria's secret thoughts, reached her a little golden mortar, saying, oh, sweet friend, dear preserver of my brother, will you not pound a little of the sugar candy? While Maria pounded in the mortar, not cracker began to give a full account of his adventures, of the dreadful battle between his army and that of the most king, and how he had lost it by the cowardice of his troops, how the terrible mouse king lay in wait to bite him in pieces, and how Maria to preserve him gave up many of his subjects who had entered her service, and all just as it had happened, during this narration it seemed to Maria as if his words became less and less audible, and the pounding of her mortar also sounded more and more distant, until she could scarcely hear it. Presently she saw a silver ghost before her, in which the princesses, the pages, not cracker and herself, too, were all enveloped. A singular humming and rustling and singing was heard, which seemed to die away in the distance, and now Maria was raised up as if up and mounting waves higher and higher, higher and higher, higher and higher. End of chapter 13. Chapter 14 of Not Cracker and Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Aida. The conclusion. Per puff it went. Maria fell down from an immovable height. That was a fall, but she opened her eyes, and there she lay open her little bed. It was bright day, and her mother stood by her, saying, How can you sleep so long? Breakfast has been really this great while. You now perceive kind readers and listeners, that Maria completely confused by the wonderful things which she had seen had at last fallen asleep in the room at Marchpeng Castle, and that the moors, or the pages, or perhaps even the princesses themselves must have carried her home, and laid her softly in bed. Oh, mother, dear mother, you cannot think where young Master Jerozel Mayer led me last night and what beautiful things I have seen. And then she began and told the whole, almost as accurately as I have relighted it. While her mother listened in astonishment. When she had finished, her mother said, You have had a long and very beautiful dream, but now drive it all out of your head. Maria insisted upon it that she had not dreamed, but had actually seen what she had relighted when her mother led her into the sitting room to the glass case, took Nutcracker out, who was standing as usual upon the second shelf, and said, Silly child, how can you believe that this wooden Nuremberg puppet can have life or motion? But dear mother replied Maria, I know little Nutcracker is young Master Jerozel Mayer of Nuremberg, godfather Jerozel Mayer's nephew. Then her father and mother about laughed very heartily. Ah, dear father, said Maria, almost crying, you should not laugh so at my Nutcracker, he has spoken very well of you. For when we entered Machpen Castle and he presented me to his sisters, the princesses, he said that you were a much respected and very worthy physician. At this the laughter was still louder, and Louise and even Fred joined in. Maria then ran into the other chamber, took the seven crowns of the Mosque out of her little box, brought them in, and handed them to her mother. Saying, see here, dear mother, here are the seven crowns of the Mosque which young Master Jerozel Mayer gave me last night, as a token of his victory. Her mother examined the little crowns in great astonishment. They were made of strange but very shining metal, and were so directly worked that it seemed impossible that mortal hands could have formed them. Her father likewise could not gaze enough at them, and he insisted very seriously that Maria should confess how she obtained them. But she could give no other account of them, and kept firm to what she had said. And, as her father spoke very harshly, to her, and even called her a little storyteller, she began to cry bitterly, and said, oh, what, what then shall I say? At this moment the door opened, the consular entered, and exclaimed, what's this, what's this? The doctor told him of all that happened, and showed him the little crowns. As soon as the consular cast his eyes on them, he laughed and cried, stupid pack, stupid pack. These are the very crowns which I used to wear on my watch chain years ago, and which I gave to little Maria on her birthday when she was two years old. Don't you remember them? Neither father nor mother could remember them, but when Maria saw that her parents had forgotten their anger, she ran to Godfather Jerozelmaier and said, ah, you know all about it, Godfather Jerozelmaier. Tell them yourself that Minot Cracker is your nephew young Master Jerozelmaier of New Ember, and that it was he who gave me the crowns. The consular's face turned very dark and gray, and he muttered, stupid pack, stupid pack. Open this, the doctor took little Maria up on his knee and said very seriously, listen to me, Maria, once for all, drive your foolish dreams and nonsense out of your head. If I overhear you say again that the silly ugly not Cracker is the nephew of your Godfather Jerozelmaier, I will throw him out of the window, and all the rest of your puppets. Miss Clara not accepted. Poor Maria durst not now speak of all these wonders, but she thought so much the more. Her whole soul was full of them, for you may imagine the things so fine and beautiful, as those which she had seen are not easily forgotten. Even Fred turned his back upon his sister whenever she spoke of the wonderful kingdom in which she had been so happy, and it is said that he sometimes would matter between his teeth. Silly girls, but that I can hardly believe of so amiable and good-natured fellow. This is certain, however, he no longer believed a word of what Maria had told him. He made a formal apology to his huzzards on public parade, for the injustice which he had done them, stuck in their capes, fetters of ghost quill much finer, and taller than those of which they had been depraved, and permitted them again to blow the huzzards grand march. Aha, we know best how it stood with their courage when those hideful balls spotted their red coats. Maria was not allowed then to speak any more of her adventures, but the images of that wonderful fairy kingdom played about her in sweet rustling tones. She could bring them all back again, whenever she fixed her thoughts, stood fastly upon them, and hence it came that instead of playing as she formally did, she would sit silent and thoughtful, using within herself for which reason the rest would often scold her, and call her a little dreamer. Sometime after this it happened that the consular was busy, repairing a clock in Dr. Stahlbaum's house. Maria set close by the glass case, and lost in her dreams, was gazing at Nutcracker when the words broke from her lips involuntarily, a dear master Dr. Meier. If you actually were leaving, I would not be hide like Princess Perley Pat, and slight you, because for my sake you had ceased to be a handsome young man. At this the consular screamed, hey, hey, stupid pack. Then there was a clap and a knock so loud, that Maria sank from her chair in Usun. When she came to herself, her mother was busy about her, and said, how came such a great girl to fall from her chair? Here is Godfather Dr. Russell Meier's nephew, just arrived from Nuremberg. Come be hide like a little woman. She looked up, the consular had put on his glass wig again, and his brown coat, he was smiling very pleasantly, and he held by the hand a little but very well shaped young man. His face was white as milk, and as red as blood. He wore a handsome red coat, trimmed with gold and shoes and white silk stockings. In his bottom hole was stuck on noise gay. His hair was nicely powdered and curled, and down his back there hang a magnificent queue. The sword by his side seemed to be made of nothing but jewels. It flashed and sparkled so brightly. And the little hut which he carried under his arm looked as if it were of lead with soft, silken flakes. It very soon appeared how polite and well bred the young man was, for he had brought Maria a great many handsome playthings. The nicest gingerbread and the same sugar figures which the Mosquing had bitten to pieces, and for Fred he had brought a splendid saber. A table the little fellow cracked nuts for the whole company. The hardest could not resist him. With the right hand he put them in his mouth, with the left he pulled hard upon his queue and cracked. The nut fell in pieces. Maria had turned very red when she first saw the handsome young man, and she became still redder. One after dinner, young Drosselmeyer invaded her to go with him into the sitting room to the glass case. Play pretty little together, children. I have nothing against it, since all my clocks are going cried the concealer. Scarcely was Maria alone with young Drosselmeyer when he stopped upon when me and said, Oh, my very best Mr. Halbom, you see here at your feet the happy Drosselmeyer, whose life you saved on this very spot. You said most amiable that you would not slight me, like the heightful Princess Bellypat, if I had become ugly for your sake. From that moment I ceased to be a miserable nutcracker, and resumed again my old and I hope not a disagreeable figure. Oh, excellent Mr. Halbom, make me happy with your dear hand, share with me crown and kingdom, rule with me in match-pen castle, for there I'm still king. Maria raised the youth and said softly, Dear Master Drosselmeyer, you are a kind, good-natured young man, and since you're old, in such a charming land, among such pretty many people, I will be your bride. With this, Maria immediately became Drosselmeyer's betrothed the bride. After a year and a day, he came as I have heard and carried her away in a golden chariot drowned by silver horses. There then sat at the wedding two and twenty thousand of the most splendid figures adorned with pearls and diamonds, and Maria, it is said, is at this hour queen of a land, where sparkling Christmas woods, transparent match-pen castles, in short, where the most beautiful, the most wonderful things can be seen by those who will only have eyes for them. End of Nuttcracker and Mouseking by E.T. A. Hoffman