(1838)
There were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for
they had been made out of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered arms
and looked straight before them, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue.
The first thing in the world they ever heard were the words, “Tin soldiers!”
uttered by a little boy, who clapped his hands with delight when the lid of
the box, in which they lay, was taken off. They were given him for a
birthday present, and he stood at the table to set them up. The soldiers were
all exactly alike, excepting one, who had only one leg; he had been left to
the last, and then there was not enough of the melted tin to finish him, so
they made him to stand firmly on one leg, and this caused him to be very
remarkable.
The table on which the tin soldiers stood, was covered with other
playthings, but the most attractive to the eye was a pretty little paper castle.
Through the small windows the rooms could be seen. In front of the castle a
number of little trees surrounded a piece of looking-glass, which was
intended to represent a transparent lake. Swans, made of wax, swam on the
lake, and were reflected in it. All this was very pretty, but the prettiest of all
was a tiny little lady, who stood at the open door of the castle; she, also, was
