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 , for they wanted to be out too , but they could not raise the lid . The nut-crackers played at leap-frog , and the slate-pencil ran about the slate ; there was such a noise that the canary woke up and began to talk to them , in poetry too ! The only two who did not stir from their places were the Tin-soldier and the little Dancer . She remained on tip-toe , with both arms outstretched ; he stood steadfastly on his one leg , never moving his eyes from her face . The clock struck twelve , and crack ! off flew the lid of the snuff-box ; but there was no snuff inside , only a little black imp -- that was the beauty of it . ` Hullo , Tin-soldier ! ' said the imp .
` Do n't look XXXXX things that are n't intended for the likes of you ! '
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