allthepeoplecouldseethebottle;forthesunshoneuponit.theballoonwasalreadyfaraway,andverysoonthebottlewasfarawayalso;foritfelluponaroof,andbrokeinpieces.butthepieceshadgotsuchanimpetusinthem,thattheycouldnotstopthemselves.theywentjumpingandrollingabout,tillatlasttheyfellintothecourt-yard,andwerebrokenintostillsmallerpieces;onlytheneckofthebottlemanagedtokeepwhole,anditwasbrokenoffascleanasifithadbeencutwithadiamond.

"thatwouldmakeacapitalbird'sglass,"saidoneofthecellar-men;butnoneofthemhadeitherabirdoracage,anditwasnottobeexpectedtheywouldprovideonejustbecausetheyhadfoundabottleneckthatcouldbeusedasaglass.buttheoldmaidwholivedinthegarrethadabird,anditreallymightbeusefultoher;sothebottleneckwasprovidedwithacork,andtakenuptoher;and,asitoftenhappensinlife,thepartthathadbeenuppermostwasnowturneddownwards,anditwasfilledwithfreshwater.thentheyhungitinthecageofthelittlebird,whosangandtwitteredmoremerrilythanever.

"ah,youhavegoodreasontosing,"saidthebottleneck,whichwaslookeduponassomethingveryremarkable,becauseithadbeeninaballoon;nothingfurtherwasknownofitshistory.asithungthereinthebird's-cage,itcouldhearthenoiseandmurmurofthepeopleinthestreetbelow,aswellastheconversationoftheoldmaidintheroomwithin.anoldfriendhadjustcometovisither,andtheytalked,notaboutthebottleneck,butofthemyrtleinthewindow.

"no,youmustnotspendadollarforyourdaughter'sbridalbouquet,"saidtheoldmaid;"youshallhaveabeautifullittlebunchforanosegay,fullofblossoms.doyouseehowsplendidlythetreehasgrown?ithasbeenraisedfromonlyalittlesprigofmyrtlethatyougavemeonthedayaftermybetrothal,andfromwhichiwastomakemyownbridalbouquetwhenayearhadpassed:butthatdaynevercame;theeyeswereclosedwhichweretohavebeenmylightandjoythroughlife.inthedepthsoftheseamybelovedsleepssweetly;themyrtlehasbecomeanoldtree,andiamastillolderwoman.beforethesprigyougavemefaded,itookaspray,andplanteditintheearth;andnow,asyousee,ithasbecomealargetree,andabunchoftheblossomsshallatlastappearataweddingfestival,inthebouquetofyourdaughter."

thereweretearsintheeyesoftheoldmaid,asshespokeofthebelovedofheryouth,andoftheirbetrothalinthewood.manythoughtscameintohermind;butthethoughtnevercame,thatquiteclosetoher,inthatverywindow,wasaremembranceofthoseoldentimes,-theneckofthebottlewhichhad,asitwereshoutedforjoywhenthecorkflewoutwithabangonthebetrothalday.butthebottleneckdidnotrecognizetheoldmaid;hehadnotbeenlisteningtowhatshehadrelated,perhapsbecausehewasthinkingsomuchabouther.

theend.

1872

fairytalesofhanschristianandersen

thebravetinsoldier

byhanschristianandersen

therewereoncefive-and-twentytinsoldiers,whowereallbrothers,fortheyhadbeenmadeoutofthesameoldtinspoon.theyshoulderedarmsandlookedstraightbeforethem,andworeasplendiduniform,redandblue.thefirstthingintheworldtheyeverheardwerethewords,"tinsoldiers!"utteredbyalittleboy,whoclappedhishandswithdelightwhenthelidofthebox,inwhichtheylay,wastakenoff.theyweregivenhimforabirthdaypresent,andhestoodatthetabletosetthemup.thesoldierswereallexactlyalike,exceptingone,whohadonlyoneleg;hehadbeenlefttothelast,andthentherewasnotenoughofthemeltedtintofinishhim,sotheymadehimtostandfirmlyononeleg,andthiscausedhimtobeveryremarkable.

thetableonwhichthetinsoldiersstood,wascoveredwithotherplaythings,butthemostattractivetotheeyewasaprettylittlepapercastle.throughthesmallwindowstheroomscouldbeseen.infrontofthecastleanumberoflittletreessurroundedapieceoflooking-glass,whichwasintendedtorepresentatransparentlake.swans,madeofwax,swamonthelake,andwerereflectedinit.allthiswasverypretty,buttheprettiestofallwasatinylittlelady,whostoodattheopendoorofthecastle;she,also,wasmadeofpaper,andsheworeadressofclearmuslin,withanarrowblueribbonoverhershouldersjustlikeascarf.infrontofthesewasfixedaglitteringtinselrose,aslargeasherwholeface.thelittleladywasadancer,andshestretchedoutbothherarms,andraisedoneofherlegssohigh,thatthetinsoldiercouldnotseeitatall,andhethoughtthatshe,likehimself,hadonlyoneleg."thatisthewifeforme,"hethought;"butsheistoogrand,andlivesinacastle,whileihaveonlyaboxtolivein,five-and-twentyofusaltogether,thatisnoplaceforher.stillimusttryandmakeheracquaintance."thenhelaidhimselfatfulllengthonthetablebehindasnuff-boxthatstooduponit,sothathecouldpeepatthelittledelicatelady,whocontinuedtostandononelegwithoutlosingherbalance.wheneveningcame,theothertinsoldierswereallplacedinthebox,andthepeopleofthehousewenttobed.thentheplaythingsbegantohavetheirowngamestogether,topayvisits,tohaveshamfights,andtogiveballs.thetinsoldiersrattledintheirbox;theywantedtogetoutandjointheamusements,buttheycouldnotopenthelid.thenut-crackersplayedatleap-frog,andthepenciljumpedaboutthetable.therewassuchanoisethatthecanarywokeupandbegantotalk,andinpoetrytoo.onlythetinsoldierandthedancerremainedintheirplaces.shestoodontiptoe,withherlegsstretchedout,asfirmlyashedidonhisoneleg.henevertookhiseyesfromherforevenamoment.theclockstrucktwelve,and,withabounce,upsprangthelidofthesnuff-box;but,insteadofsnuff,therejumpedupalittleblackgoblin;forthesnuff-boxwasatoypuzzle.

"tinsoldier,"saidthegoblin,"don'twishforwhatdoesnotbelongtoyou.

butthetinsoldierpretendednottohear.

"verywell;waittillto-morrow,then,"saidthegoblin.

whenthechildrencameinthenextmorning,theyplacedthetinsoldierinthewindow.now,whetheritwasthegoblinwhodidit,orthedraught,isnotknown,butthewindowflewopen,andoutfellthetinsoldier,heelsoverhead,fromthethirdstory,intothestreetbeneath.itwasaterriblefall;forhecameheaddownwards,hishelmetandhisbayonetstuckinbetweentheflagstones,andhisonelegupintheair.theservantmaidandthelittleboywentdownstairsdirectlytolookforhim;buthewasnowheretobeseen,althoughoncetheynearlytroduponhim.ifhehadcalledout,"hereiam,"itwouldhavebeenallright,buthewastooproudtocryoutforhelpwhileheworeauniform.

presentlyitbegantorain,andthedropsfellfasterandfaster,tilltherewasaheavyshower.whenitwasover,twoboyshappenedtopassby,andoneofthemsaid,"look,thereisatinsoldier.heoughttohaveaboattosailin."

sotheymadeaboatoutofanewspaper,andplacedthetinsoldierinit,andsenthimsailingdownthegutter,whilethetwoboysranbythesideofit,andclappedtheirhands.goodgracious,whatlargewavesaroseinthatgutter!