Of these the Dancing Lady is second only to the lame Soldier; the Goblin, the two street boys, the little boy and the Water Rat are given considerable prominence, while the twenty-four brothers, the servant-maid, the fish and the cook are introduced merely to effect a certain incident or to give an air of truthfulness to the events. This is a fairy tale, and in it we must be faithful to our juvenile friends, considering the Goblin, the Water Rat and the fish as real persons, and the Tin Soldier as a very human being. 3. In appearance the Tin Soldier was tall and erect, but alas! he had only one leg! His uniform was red and blue and very splendid. He carried his musket across his shoulder as a marching soldier should, kept his eyes straight to the front, and stood very firmly upon his one foot. In the fire he lost the tinsel and the color from his uniform, and when the Dancer joined him he melted into a little tin heart. 4. While Andersen tells outright some of the characteristics of the little Soldier, he leaves others to be inferred from acts. The Soldier thinks, and sometimes the reader is told just what he thinks, but never once does he speak--to him silence is golden. Yet not once do we miss his voice, and it is only when we have finished that we suddenly think what a silent little body he is. That is part of the author's art. The Soldier never once moves his eyes, or changes his attitude; the author never forgets that he is a _tin_ soldier, but makes his every act consistent with his stiffness and rigidity. That is more of the author's skill. There were other soldiers, twenty-four of them, and all were brothers. A less skilful author would have stopped in the telling of the fact, but Andersen adds in his whimsical, charming manner, "for they were all born of one tin spoon." All the other brothers were perfect; our Soldier had but one leg, yet "it was just this soldier who became remarkable." Even the missing leg creates an interest, and Andersen uses it to center our attention upon his little hero. 5. Andersen tells us the following things about the Tin Soldier's character: a. He stood firmly even with but one leg to balance himself upon. b. He thought his box was not a place for a lady-wife who lived in a castle. This showed his humility. c. Yet he was very human--"I must make her acquaintance." d. When he fell from the window, he put his leg straight up, stuck his helmet downward and his bayonet between the paving stones. e. He would not call loudly to the servant-maid because he was in the uniform of a soldier. f. While in the boat rushing down the gutter, he trembled, but he never changed countenance, and still looked straight before him. g. He sighed for the little Lady's company, while passing through the drain. h. He would not answer the Water Rat. i. He stiffened himself and would not move an eyelid when the paper boat sank. j. He lay unmoved even in the darkness of the fish's body.