Nutcracker and the mouse king

ild cheery din, and saw how a thousand dwarfish folk were in the act of examining and unloading many high-packed waggons which stood in the market-place. But what they took out of these waggons appeared nothing but brightly coloured papers, and the silver coverings of chocolate sticks.
“We are in Bonbonstown,” said Nutcracker, “and there has just arrived a convoy sent from Paperland by the Chocolate King. The poor people of Bonbonstown have recently been seriously threatened by the Fly-Sultan`s army, on which account they are covering their houses with the supplies from Paperland, and throwing up fortifications of the strong materials which the Chocolate King sends them. But, dear Miss Stahlbaum, we will not visit all the small towns and villages of this country – on to the capital! – to the capital!”
Quickly hastened Nutcracker forward, and Mary after him, full of curiosity. Before long, a rich perfume of roses greeted them, and all the air seemed filled with soft waving rose tints. Mary saw that this was the reflection of a rose-red shining river, whose rosily silver ripples purled and prattled before her as if keeping time and melody. On this lovely water, that gradually spread out into a lake, swam noble silver-white swans with golden bands round their necks, and sang the most beautiful songs against each other for a wager, to the tune of which little diamond fishes ducked up and down through the rose-water as in a merry dance.
“Ah,” cried Mary, quite excited, “this is really the lake which Godfather Drosselmeier once promised to make for me; and I myself am the girl who is to play with the darling swans!”
Nutcracker gave such a scornful laugh as she had never heard him do, and said:
“A thing like this your godfather can never manufacture! Don`t you trouble about that, however, but let us sail over the Rose Lake to the capital city on the other side.”
CHAPTER XIII
THE CAPITAL OF TOYLAND
The little Nutcracker again clapped his small hands; and then the Rose Lake grew more agitated, the waves washed higher on the shore, and Mary saw coming towards her from the distance a boat or floating chariot, in the form of a shell, like one glowing, sun-bright, sparkling gem, drawn along by two gold-scaled dolphins.
Twelve dear little Moors, dressed in caps and pinafores woven out of humming-birds` feathers, sprang on shore, and carried first Mary, then Nutcracker, softly passing over the waves, into the boat. Oh, how nice it was when Mary drove off through the rose spray and the rose waves! The two gold-scaled dolphins lifted up their heads and spouted crystal jets high into the air; and as they fell back in gleaming and sparkling rainbows, two sweet voices, like little bells of silver, seemed to be singing:
“Who sails upon the rosy sea?
A darling fairy it must be!
Little fly, shoo! shoo!
Little fish – boo! boo!
Swans, ta, ta!
Goldfinch, tra la!
Stream, run low!
Winds soft blow!
All peace today!
For here comes a fay!”
But the little Moors, who had jumped up on the back of the chariot, appeared not to like the singing of the water jets, for they kept shaking their parasols, so that the date-palm leaves, of which these were made, rattled and rustled, and at the same time the whole twelve stamped with their feet to an odd kind of tune, and sang for their part:
“Clack, click! click, clack!
Up and down! down and up!
Black boys like a noise!
Fish jump! swans flap!
Shell-coach rumble! jumble, tumble!
Up and down! down and up!
Click, clack! clack, click!”
“Moors are very merry people,” said Nutcracker, somewhat put out by their din, “but they will set the whole lake in an uproar if they go on so.”
Indeed, there soon broke loose a confused tumult of extraordinary voices, which seemed to be floating all around in the air and the water; yet Mary did not mind them, but looked hard down into the scented rose waves, out of which a sweet, pleasant girl`s face smiled back to her.
“Ah,” she cried joyfully, clapping her little hands. “Ah, just look, Herr Drosselmeier! Down there is the Princess Pirlipat, who smiles at me so graciously! – Do look, dear Herr Drosselmeier!”
But Nutcracker sighed almost mournfully, and said:
“Oh, dearest Miss Stahlbaum, that is not the Princess Pirlipat; that is always and only yourself, always only your own pretty face, that smiles so sweetly out of the rose waves.”
At this Mary quickly drew her head back, shut her eyes tight, and felt much ashamed. Next moment she was lifted out of the shell chariot and carried on shore by the twelve black boys. She found herself in a small thicket, almost more beautiful than the Christmas-tree wood, so brightly did everything here shine and glitter, especially admirable being the foreign fruits that hung on all the trees, and were not only of singular colours but also had a wonderfully fine smell.
“This is Confection Grove,” Nutcracker told her; “but there is the capital!”
What now did Mary see? How shall I attempt to describe to you, dear children, the beauty and splendour of the city, which stretched itself far over a flowery plain before her eyes? Not only were the walls and towers gay with the most splendid colours, but the form of the buildings was such as you never saw on earth. For, instead of thatch, the houses had beautifully-carved crowns on the top of them, and the towers were capped by the most lovely gay garlands ever seen, like the ornaments of a wedding cake.
When they passed through the gate, which looked as if it were built of macaroons and candied fruit, a band of silver-papered soldiers presented arms, and a little man in a brocaded dressing-gown threw his arms round Nutcracker`s neck with the words:
“Welcome, noble Prince, welcome to Confectionerbury!”
Mary was not a little astonished to see young Drosselmeier recognised as a prince by this highly-distinguished person. But now she heard a confused outburst of tiny voices mingling together, such a cheering and laughing, such a playing and singing, that she could think of nothing else, and asked the little Nutcracker what this meant.
“Oh, my good Miss Stahlbaum,” answered he, “this is nothing remarkable! Confectionerbury is a prosperous, lively city, and every day some kind of amusement goes on here. But be pleased to come a little farther.”
A few steps brought them out upon the great market-place, which presented a splendid sight. All the houses round it were of open sugar work, story rising over story; in the middle stood a tall sugar-coated cake tree, like a monument, and on each side of this a very skillfully made fountain spouted in the air lemonade, gingerbeer, and other nice drinks; while into the basins below ran pure rich cream which you might spoon up at once without any further trouble. But prettier than all were the dear little people who swarmed round by thousands in and out, hurrahing and laughing, and joking and singing; in short, raising that merry din which Mary had already heard from some way off. There were finely-dressed ladies and gentlemen, Arabs and Greeks, Highlanders and Indians, officers and soldiers, shepherds and sailors, Grand Turks and Tomfools, Harlequins and Columbines, in fact all kinds of people you find in the world.
At one corner the tumult grew greater; the people thronged together, for just then the Grand Mogul had himself carried by in a palanquin, attended by three-and-ninety grandees of his realm, and by seven hundred slaves. But it happened that at the other corner the Guild of Fishermen, five hundred strong, were holding their festival; and it was a pity that at the very same time, the Turkish Sultan had the idea of taking a ride over the market-place with three thousand janissaries; and yet another solemn procession, clanging and chorusing, crowded round the cake tree. What a pressing and pushing and shoving and quarrelling then came about! Soon, too, there were many cries of distress, for in the crush a Fisherman had knocked off a Brahmin`s head, and the Grand Mogul was nearly upset by a Tomfool.
Wilder and wilder rose the din; and the crowds were already falling to blows, when that man in a brocaded gown who at the gate had greeted Nutcracker as prince, climbed up on the cake tree, and, after three times ringing a very clear tinkling bell, called out thrice: “Confectioner! Confectioner! Confectioner!”
At once the tumult was calmed, every one trying to escape from the confusion as best he could; and when the entangled processions had got clear of each other, the muddied Grand Mogul had been brushed clean, and the Brahmin`s head set on again, the merry uproar broke forth anew.
“What does it mean, that Confectioner, dear Herr Drosselmeier?” asked Mary.
“Ah, my good Miss Stahlbaum,” answered Nutcracker, “Confectioner is the name given here to an unknown but very dreadful power, of which people believe that it can do with them what it will! It is the Fate that rules over this little merry folk, and they fear it so much, that through the mere mention of its name, the greatest tumult can be appeased, as Mr. Burgermaster has just shown us. Every one then thinks no more of earthly things, of pushes in the ribs, and bumps on the head, but retires into himself and asks seriously, “What is man, and what is his destiny?”
Mary could not restrain a loud cry of wonder, nay, of the highest amazement, when she all at once saw standing before her, bathed in rosy light, a brightly-lighted castle with a hundred magnificent towers. Here and there the walls were decorated with rich bouquets of violets, lilies, tulips, stocks, and the like, the duller tints of which set off the dazzling white of the groundwork shimmering in rosy light. The great dome of the central building, as well as the pyramid-formed caps of the towers, were dotted with thousands of sparkling gold and silver stars.
“Now we are before Rock Castle,” said Nutcracker.
Mary was quite overwhelmed by the view of this enchanted palace, yet she did not fail to not…