Before the castle some little trees were placed round a
little looking-glass, which was to represent a clear lake. Waxen swans
swam on this lake, and were mirrored in it. This was all very pretty;
but the prettiest of all was a little lady, who stood at the open door
of the castle; she was also cut out in paper, but she had a dress
of the clearest gauze, and a little narrow blue ribbon over her
shoulders, that looked like a scarf; and in the middle of this ribbon
was a shining tinsel rose as big as her whole face. The little lady
stretched out both her arms, for she was a dancer; and then she lifted
one leg so high that the Tin Soldier could not see it at all, and
thought that, like himself, she had but one leg.
"That would be the wife for me," thought he; "but she is very
grand. She lives in a castle, and I have only a box, and there are
five-and-twenty of us in that. It is no place for her. But I must try
to make acquaintance with her."
And then he lay down at full length behind a snuff-box which was on
the table; there he could easily watch the little dainty lady, who
continued to stand upon one leg without losing her balance.
When the evening came all the other tin soldiers were put into their
box, and the people in the house went to bed.
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