"Thank you," answered the Clown. "But I would never look the same.
And thank you, Captain, for cutting me down before I was burned," he
went on to the Bold Tin Soldier. "It was very brave of you."

"Oh, it was nothing," the Captain modestly said. "We soldiers are
here to do just such things as that."

"Hush!" suddenly called the Monkey on a Stick. "Here come the
clerks. The store is going to open!"

And so all the toys had to be quiet and go back to their places.
They could not make believe be alive until night should come again.

One by one the girl clerks took their places behind the toy counters
near the shelves on which the different playthings were stored. One
girl picked up the Calico Clown.

"Well, I do declare!" exclaimed this girl. "Look at my fancy Clown,
will you, Mabel?"

"What's the matter with him, Sallie?" asked the clerk whose name was
Mabel.

"Why, his red and yellow pants are scorched," answered Sallie. "I
wonder what happened to him. Some customer who was smoking must have
dropped a match or some hot cigar ashes on him. I must tell the
manager about this. I can't sell a damaged toy like that."

"No, you can't," agreed Mabel, after she had looked at the poor
Calico Clown.