Next he asked for the hand of Hadvor , which the King readily gave him , and being now an old man , gave the kingdom to him as well ; and so Hermod became King . Olof married a good-looking nobleman , and that is the end of the story . THE STEADFAST TIN-SOLDIER There were once upon a time five-and twenty tin-soldiers -- all brothers , as they were made out of the same old tin spoon . Their uniform was red and blue , and they shouldered their guns and looked straight in front of them . The first words that they heard in this world , when the lid of the box in which they lay was taken off , were : ` Hurrah , tin-soldiers ! ' This was exclaimed by a little boy , clapping his hands ; they had been given to him because it was his birthday , and now he began setting them out on the table . Each soldier was exactly like the other in shape , except just one , who had been made last when the tin had run short ; but there he stood as firmly on his one leg as the others did on two , and he is the one that became famous . There were many other playthings on the table on which they were being set out , but the nicest of all was a pretty little castle made of cardboard , with windows through which you could see into the rooms . In front of the castle stood some little trees surrounding a tiny mirror which looked like a lake . Wax swans were floating about and reflecting themselves in it . That was all very pretty ; but the most beautiful thing was a little lady , who stood in the open doorway . She was cut out of paper , but she had on a dress of the finest muslin , with a scarf of narrow blue ribbon round her shoulders , fastened in the middle with a glittering rose made of gold paper , which was as large as her head . The little lady was stretching out both her arms , for she was a Dancer , and was lifting up one leg so high in the air that the Tin-soldier could n't find it anywhere , and thought that she , too , had only one leg . ` That 's the wife for me ! ' he thought ; ` but she is so grand , and lives in a castle , whilst I have only a box with four-and-twenty others . This is no place for her ! But I must make her acquaintance . ' Then he stretched himself out behind a snuff-box that lay on the table ; from thence he could watch the dainty little lady , who continued to stand on one leg without losing her balance . When the night came all the other tin-soldiers went into their box , and the people of the house went to bed . Then the toys began to play at visiting , dancing , and fighting .
The tin-soldiers rattled in their box , XXXXX they wanted to be out too , but they could not raise the lid .
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