THE SNOW QUEEN

THE SNOW QUEEN

FIRST STORY. Which Treats of a Mirror and of the Splinters
Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story, we shall knowmore than we know now: but to begin.
Once upon a time there was a wicked sprite, indeed he was the most mischievousof all sprites. One day he was in a very good humor, for he had made a mirrorwith the power of causing all that was good and beautiful when it wasreflected therein, to look poor and mean; but that which was good-for-nothingand looked ugly was shown magnified and increased in ugliness. In this mirrorthe most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled spinach, and the best personswere turned into frights, or appeared to stand on their heads; their faceswere so distorted that they were not to be recognised; and if anyone had amole, you might be sure that it would be magnified and spread over both noseand mouth.
"That's glorious fun!" said the sprite. If a good thought passed through aman's mind, then a grin was seen in the mirror, and the sprite laughedheartily at his clever discovery. All the little sprites who went to hisschool--for he kept a sprite school--told each other that a miracle hadhappened; and that now only, as they thought, it would be possible to see howthe world really looked. They ran about with the mirror; and at last there wasnot a land or a person who was not represented distorted in the mirror. Sothen they thought they would fly up to the sky, and have a joke there. Thehigher they flew with the mirror, the more terribly it grinned: they couldhardly hold it fast. Higher and higher still they flew, nearer and nearer tothe stars, when suddenly the mirror shook so terribly with grinning, that itflew out of their hands and fell to the earth, where it was dashed in ahundred million and more pieces. And now it worked much more evil than before;for some of these pieces were hardly so large as a grain of sand, and theyflew about in the wide world, and when they got into people's eyes, there theystayed; and then people saw everything perverted, or only had an eye for thatwhich was evil. This happened because the very smallest bit had the same powerwhich the whole mirror had possessed. Some persons even got a splinter intheir heart, and then it made one shudder, for their heart became like a lumpof ice. Some of the broken pieces were so large that they were used forwindowpanes, through which one could not see one's friends. Other pieces wereput in spectacles; and that was a sad affair when people put on their glassesto see well and rightly. Then the wicked sprite laughed till he almost choked,for all this tickled his fancy. The fine splinters still flew about in theair: and now we shall hear what happened next.
SECOND STORY. A Little Boy and a Little Girl
In a large town, where there are so many houses, and so many people, thatthere is no roof left for everybody to have a little garden; and where, onthis account, most persons are obliged to content themselves with flowers inpots; there lived two little children, who had a garden somewhat larger than aflower-pot. They were not brother and sister; but they cared for each other asmuch as if they were. Their parents lived exactly opposite. They inhabited twogarrets; and where the roof of the one house joined that of the other, and thegutter ran along the extreme end of it, there was to each house a smallwindow: one needed only to step over the gutter to get from one window to theother.
The children's parents had large wooden boxes there, in which vegetables forthe kitchen were planted, and little rosetrees besides: there was a rose ineach box, and they grew splendidly. They now thought of placing the boxesacross the gutter, so that they nearly reached from one window to the other,and looked just like two walls of flowers. The tendrils of the peas hung downover the boxes; and the rose-trees shot up long branches, twined round thewindows, and then bent towards each other: it was almost like a triumphantarch of foliage and flowers. The boxes were very high, and the children knewthat they must not creep over them; so they often obtained permission to getout of the windows to each other, and to sit on their little stools among theroses, where they could play delightfully. In winter there was an end of thispleasure. The windows were often frozen over; but then they heated copperfarthings on the stove, and laid the hot farthing on the windowpane, and thenthey had a capital peep-hole, quite nicely rounded; and out of each peeped agentle friendly eye--it was the little boy and the little girl who werelooking out. His name was Kay, hers was Gerda. In summer, with one jump, theycould get to each other; but in winter they were obliged first to go down thelong stairs, and then up the long stairs again: and out-of-doors there wasquite a snow-storm.
"It is the white bees that are swarming," said Kay's old grandmother.
"Do the white bees choose a queen?" asked the little boy; for he knew that thehoney-bees always have one.
"Yes," said the grandmother, "she flies where the swarm hangs in the thickestclusters. She is the largest of all; and she can never remain quietly on theearth, but goes up again into the black clouds. Many a winter's night sheflies through the streets of the town, and peeps in at the windows; and theythen freeze in so wondrous a manner that they look like flowers."
"Yes, I have seen it," said both the children; and so they knew that it wastrue.
"Can the Snow Queen come in?" said the little girl.
"Only let her come in!" said the little boy. "Then I'd put her on the stove,and she'd melt."
And then his grandmother patted his head and told him other stories.
In the evening, when little Kay was at home, and half undressed, he climbed upon the chair by the window, and peeped out of the little hole. A fewsnow-flakes were falling, and one, the largest of all, remained lying on theedge of a flower-pot.
The flake of snow grew larger and larger; and at last it was like a younglady, dressed in the finest white gauze, made of a million little flakes likestars. She was so beautiful and delicate, but she was of ice, of dazzling,sparkling ice; yet she lived; her eyes gazed fixedly, like two stars; butthere was neither quiet nor repose in them. She nodded towards the window, andbeckoned with her hand. The little boy was frightened, and jumped down fromthe chair; it seemed to him as if, at the same moment, a large bird flew pastthe window.
The next day it was a sharp frost--and then the spring came; the sun shone,the green leaves appeared, the swallows built their nests, the windows wereopened, and the little children again sat in their pretty garden, high up onthe leads at the top of the house.
That summer the roses flowered in unwonted beauty. The little girl had learneda hymn, in which there was something about roses; and then she thought of herown flowers; and she sang the verse to the little boy, who then sang it withher:
"The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet, And angels descend there the children to greet."
And the children held each other by the hand, kissed the roses, looked up atthe clear sunshine, and spoke as though they really saw angels there. Whatlovely summer-days those were! How delightful to be out in the air, near thefresh rose-bushes, that seem as if they would never finish blossoming!
Kay and Gerda looked at the picture-book full of beasts and of birds; and itwas then--the clock in the church-tower was just striking five--that Kay said,"Oh! I feel such a sharp pain in my heart; and now something has got into myeye!"
The little girl put her arms around his neck. He winked his eyes; now therewas nothing to be seen.
"I think it is out now," said he; but it was not. It was just one of thosepieces of glass from the magic mirror that had got into his eye; and poor Kayhad got another piece right in his heart. It will soon become like ice. It didnot hurt any longer, but there it was.
"What are you crying for?" asked he. "You look so ugly! There's nothing thematter with me. Ah," said he at once, "that rose is cankered! And look, thisone is quite crooked! After all, these roses are very ugly! They are just likethe box they are planted in!" And then he gave the box a good kick with hisfoot, and pulled both the roses up.
"What are you doing?" cried the little girl; and as he perceived her fright,he pulled up another rose, got in at the window, and hastened off from dearlittle Gerda.
Afterwards, when she brought her picture-book, he asked, "What horrid beastshave you there?" And if his grandmother told them stories, he alwaysinterrupted her; besides, if he could manage it, he would get behind her, puton her spectacles, and imitate her way of speaking; he copied all her ways,and then everybody laughed at him. He was soon able to imitate the gait andmanner of everyone in the street. Everything that was peculiar and displeasingin them--that Kay knew how to imitate: and at such times all the people said,"The boy is certainly very clever!" But it was the glass he had got in hiseye; the glass that was sticking in his heart, which made him tease evenlittle Gerda, whose whole soul was devoted to him.
His games now were quite different to what they had formerly been, they wereso very knowing. One winter's day, when the flakes of snow were flying about,he spread the skirts of his blue coat, and caught the snow as it fell.
"Look through this glass, Gerda," said he. And every flake seemed larger, andappeared like a magnificent flower, or beautiful star; it was splendid to lookat!
"Look, how clever!" said Kay. "That's much more interesting than real flowers!They are as exact as possible; there is not a fault in them, if they did notmelt!"
It was not long after this, that Kay came one day with large gloves on, andhis little sledge at his back, and bawled right into Gerda's ears, "I havepermission to go out into the square where the others are playing"; and off hewas in a moment.
There, in the market-place, some of the boldest of the boys used to tie theirsledges to the carts as they passed by, and so they were pulled along, and gota good ride. It was so capital! Just as they were in the very height of theiramusement, a large sledge passed by: it was painted quite white, and there wassomeone in it wrapped up in a rough white mantle of fur, with a rough whitefur cap on his head. The sledge drove round the square twice, and Kay tied onhis sledge as quickly as he could, and off he drove with it. On they wentquicker and quicker into the next street; and the person who drove turnedround to Kay, and nodded to him in a friendly manner, just as if they kneweach other. Every time he was going to untie his sledge, the person nodded tohim, and then Kay sat quiet; and so on they went till they came outside thegates of the town. Then the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boycould not see an arm's length before him, but still on he went: when suddenlyhe let go the string he held in his hand in order to get loose from thesledge, but it was of no use; still the little vehicle rushed on with thequickness of the wind. He then cried as loud as he could, but no one heardhim; the snow drifted and the sledge flew on, and sometimes it gave a jerk asthough they were driving over hedges and ditches. He was quite frightened, andhe tried to repeat the Lord's Prayer; but all he could do, he was only able toremember the multiplication table.
The snow-flakes grew larger and larger, till at last they looked just likegreat white fowls. Suddenly they flew on one side; the large sledge stopped,and the person who drove rose up. It was a lady; her cloak and cap were ofsnow. She was tall and of slender figure, and of a dazzling whiteness. It wasthe Snow Queen.
"We have travelled fast," said she; "but it is freezingly cold. Come under mybearskin." And she put him in the sledge beside her, wrapped the fur roundhim, and he felt as though he were sinking in a snow-wreath.
"Are you still cold?" asked she; and then she kissed his forehead. Ah! it wascolder than ice; it penetrated to his very heart, which was already almost afrozen lump; it seemed to him as if he were about to die--but a moment moreand it was quite congenial to him, and he did not remark the cold that wasaround him.
"My sledge! Do not forget my sledge!" It was the first thing he thought of. Itwas there tied to one of the white chickens, who flew along with it on hisback behind the large sledge. The Snow Queen kissed Kay once more, and then heforgot little Gerda, grandmother, and all whom he had left at his home.
"Now you will have no more kisses," said she, "or else I should kiss you todeath!"
Kay looked at her. She was very beautiful; a more clever, or a more lovelycountenance he could not fancy to himself; and she no longer appeared of iceas before, when she sat outside the window, and beckoned to him; in his eyesshe was perfect, he did not fear her at all, and told her that he couldcalculate in his head and with fractions, even; that he knew the number ofsquare miles there were in the different countries, and how many inhabitantsthey contained; and she smiled while he spoke. It then seemed to him as ifwhat he knew was not enough, and he looked upwards in the large huge emptyspace above him, and on she flew with him; flew high over the black clouds,while the storm moaned and whistled as though it were singing some old tune.On they flew over woods and lakes, over seas, and many lands; and beneath themthe chilling storm rushed fast, the wolves howled, the snow crackled; abovethem flew large screaming crows, but higher up appeared the moon, quite largeand bright; and it was on it that Kay gazed during the long long winter'snight; while by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.
THIRD STORY. Of the Flower-Garden At the Old Woman's Who Understood Witchcraft
But what became of little Gerda when Kay did not return? Where could he be?Nobody knew; nobody could give any intelligence. All the boys knew was, thatthey had seen him tie his sledge to another large and splendid one, whichdrove down the street and out of the town. Nobody knew where he was; many sadtears were shed, and little Gerda wept long and bitterly; at last she said hemust be dead; that he had been drowned in the river which flowed close to thetown. Oh! those were very long and dismal winter evenings!
At last spring came, with its warm sunshine.
"Kay is dead and gone!" said little Gerda.
"That I don't believe," said the Sunshine.
"Kay is dead and gone!" said she to the Swallows.
"That I don't believe," said they: and at last little Gerda did not think soany longer either.
"I'll put on my red shoes," said she, one morning; "Kay has never seen them,and then I'll go down to the river and ask there."
It was quite early; she kissed her old grandmother, who was still asleep, puton her red shoes, and went alone to the river.
"Is it true that you have taken my little playfellow? I will make you apresent of my red shoes, if you will give him back to me."
And, as it seemed to her, the blue waves nodded in a strange manner; then shetook off her red shoes, the most precious things she possessed, and threw themboth into the river. But they fell close to the bank, and the little wavesbore them immediately to land; it was as if the stream would not take what wasdearest to her; for in reality it had not got little Kay; but Gerda thoughtthat she had not thrown the shoes out far enough, so she clambered into a boatwhich lay among the rushes, went to the farthest end, and threw out the shoes.But the boat was not fastened, and the motion which she occasioned, made itdrift from the shore. She observed this, and hastened to get back; but beforeshe could do so, the boat was more than a yard from the land, and was glidingquickly onward.
Little Gerda was very frightened, and began to cry; but no one heard herexcept the sparrows, and they could not carry her to land; but they flew alongthe bank, and sang as if to comfort her, "Here we are! Here we are!" The boatdrifted with the stream, little Gerda sat quite still without shoes, for theywere swimming behind the boat, but she could not reach them, because the boatwent much faster than they did.
The banks on both sides were beautiful; lovely flowers, venerable trees, andslopes with sheep and cows, but not a human being was to be seen.
"Perhaps the river will carry me to little Kay," said she; and then she grewless sad. She rose, and looked for many hours at the beautiful green banks.Presently she sailed by a large cherry-orchard, where was a little cottagewith curious red and blue windows; it was thatched, and before it two woodensoldiers stood sentry, and presented arms when anyone went past.
Gerda called to them, for she thought they were alive; but they, of course,did not answer. She came close to them, for the stream drifted the boat quitenear the land.
Gerda called still louder, and an old woman then came out of the cottage,leaning upon a crooked stick. She had a large broad-brimmed hat on, paintedwith the most splendid flowers.
"Poor little child!" said the old woman. "How did you get upon the large rapidriver, to be driven about so in the wide world!" And then the old woman wentinto the water, caught hold of the boat with her crooked stick, drew it to thebank, and lifted little Gerda out.
And Gerda was so glad to be on dry land again; but she was rather afraid ofthe strange old woman.
"But come and tell me who you are, and how you came here," said she.
And Gerda told her all; and the old woman shook her head and said, "A-hem!a-hem!" and when Gerda had told her everything, and asked her if she had notseen little Kay, the woman answered that he had not passed there, but he nodoubt would come; and she told her not to be cast down, but taste hercherries, and look at her flowers, which were finer than any in apicture-book, each of which could tell a whole story. She then took Gerda bythe hand, led her into the little cottage, and locked the door.
The windows were very high up; the glass was red, blue, and green, and thesunlight shone through quite wondrously in all sorts of colors. On the tablestood the most exquisite cherries, and Gerda ate as many as she chose, for shehad permission to do so. While she was eating, the old woman combed her hairwith a golden comb, and her hair curled and shone with a lovely golden coloraround that sweet little face, which was so round and so like a rose.
"I have often longed for such a dear little girl," said the old woman. "Nowyou shall see how well we agree together"; and while she combed little Gerda'shair, the child forgot her foster-brother Kay more and more, for the old womanunderstood magic; but she was no evil being, she only practised witchcraft alittle for her own private amusement, and now she wanted very much to keeplittle Gerda. She therefore went out in the garden, stretched out her crookedstick towards the rose-bushes, which, beautifully as they were blowing, allsank into the earth and no one could tell where they had stood. The old womanfeared that if Gerda should see the roses, she would then think of her own,would remember little Kay, and run away from her.
She now led Gerda into the flower-garden. Oh, what odour and what lovelinesswas there! Every flower that one could think of, and of every season, stoodthere in fullest bloom; no picture-book could be gayer or more beautiful.Gerda jumped for joy, and played till the sun set behind the tall cherry-tree;she then had a pretty bed, with a red silken coverlet filled with blueviolets. She fell asleep, and had as pleasant dreams as ever a queen on herwedding-day.
The next morning she went to play with the flowers in the warm sunshine, andthus passed away a day. Gerda knew every flower; and, numerous as they were,it still seemed to Gerda that one was wanting, though she did not know which.One day while she was looking at the hat of the old woman painted withflowers, the most beautiful of them all seemed to her to be a rose. The oldwoman had forgotten to take it from her hat when she made the others vanish inthe earth. But so it is when one's thoughts are not collected. "What!" saidGerda. "Are there no roses here?" and she ran about amongst the flowerbeds,and looked, and looked, but there was not one to be found. She then sat downand wept; but her hot tears fell just where a rose-bush had sunk; and when herwarm tears watered the ground, the tree shot up suddenly as fresh and bloomingas when it had been swallowed up. Gerda kissed the roses, thought of her owndear roses at home, and with them of little Kay.
"Oh, how long I have stayed!" said the little girl. "I intended to look forKay! Don't you know where he is?" she asked of the roses. "Do you think he isdead and gone?"
"Dead he certainly is not," said the Roses. "We have been in the earth whereall the dead are, but Kay was not there."
"Many thanks!" said little Gerda; and she went to the other flowers, lookedinto their cups, and asked, "Don't you know where little Kay is?"
But every flower stood in the sunshine, and dreamed its own fairy tale or itsown story: and they all told her very many things, but not one knew anythingof Kay.
Well, what did the Tiger-Lily say?
"Hearest thou not the drum? Bum! Bum! Those are the only two tones. Alwaysbum! Bum! Hark to the plaintive song of the old woman, to the call of thepriests! The Hindoo woman in her long robe stands upon the funeral pile; theflames rise around her and her dead husband, but the Hindoo woman thinks onthe living one in the surrounding circle; on him whose eyes burn hotter thanthe flames--on him, the fire of whose eyes pierces her heart more than theflames which soon will burn her body to ashes. Can the heart's flame die inthe flame of the funeral pile?"
"I don't understand that at all," said little Gerda.
"That is my story," said the Lily.
What did the Convolvulus say?
"Projecting over a narrow mountain-path there hangs an old feudal castle.Thick evergreens grow on the dilapidated walls, and around the altar, where alovely maiden is standing: she bends over the railing and looks out upon therose. No fresher rose hangs on the branches than she; no appleblossom carriedaway by the wind is more buoyant! How her silken robe is rustling!
"'Is he not yet come?'"
"Is it Kay that you mean?" asked little Gerda.
"I am speaking about my story--about my dream," answered the Convolvulus.
What did the Snowdrops say?
"Between the trees a long board is hanging--it is a swing. Two little girlsare sitting in it, and swing themselves backwards and forwards; their frocksare as white as snow, and long green silk ribands flutter from their bonnets.Their brother, who is older than they are, stands up in the swing; he twineshis arms round the cords to hold himself fast, for in one hand he has a littlecup, and in the other a clay-pipe. He is blowing soap-bubbles. The swingmoves, and the bubbles float in charming changing colors: the last is stillhanging to the end of the pipe, and rocks in the breeze. The swing moves. Thelittle black dog, as light as a soap-bubble, jumps up on his hind legs to tryto get into the swing. It moves, the dog falls down, barks, and is angry. Theytease him; the bubble bursts! A swing, a bursting bubble--such is my song!"
"What you relate may be very pretty, but you tell it in so melancholy amanner, and do not mention Kay."
What do the Hyacinths say?
"There were once upon a time three sisters, quite transparent, and verybeautiful. The robe of the one was red, that of the second blue, and that ofthe third white. They danced hand in hand beside the calm lake in the clearmoonshine. They were not elfin maidens, but mortal children. A sweet fragrancewas smelt, and the maidens vanished in the wood; the fragrance grewstronger--three coffins, and in them three lovely maidens, glided out of theforest and across the lake: the shining glow-worms flew around like littlefloating lights. Do the dancing maidens sleep, or are they dead? The odour ofthe flowers says they are corpses; the evening bell tolls for the dead!"
"You make me quite sad," said little Gerda. "I cannot help thinking of thedead maidens. Oh! is little Kay really dead? The Roses have been in the earth,and they say no."
"Ding, dong!" sounded the Hyacinth bells. "We do not toll for little Kay; wedo not know him. That is our way of singing, the only one we have."
And Gerda went to the Ranunculuses, that looked forth from among the shininggreen leaves.
"You are a little bright sun!" said Gerda. "Tell me if you know where I canfind my playfellow."
And the Ranunculus shone brightly, and looked again at Gerda. What song couldthe Ranunculus sing? It was one that said nothing about Kay either.
"In a small court the bright sun was shining in the first days of spring. Thebeams glided down the white walls of a neighbor's house, and close by thefresh yellow flowers were growing, shining like gold in the warm sun-rays. Anold grandmother was sitting in the air; her grand-daughter, the poor andlovely servant just come for a short visit. She knows her grandmother. Therewas gold, pure virgin gold in that blessed kiss. There, that is my littlestory," said the Ranunculus.
"My poor old grandmother!" sighed Gerda. "Yes, she is longing for me, nodoubt: she is sorrowing for me, as she did for little Kay. But I will sooncome home, and then I will bring Kay with me. It is of no use asking theflowers; they only know their own old rhymes, and can tell me nothing." Andshe tucked up her frock, to enable her to run quicker; but the Narcissus gaveher a knock on the leg, just as she was going to jump over it. So she stoodstill, looked at the long yellow flower, and asked, "You perhaps knowsomething?" and she bent down to the Narcissus. And what did it say?
"I can see myself--I can see myself! Oh, how odorous I am! Up in the littlegarret there stands, half-dressed, a little Dancer. She stands now on one leg,now on both; she despises the whole world; yet she lives only in imagination.She pours water out of the teapot over a piece of stuff which she holds in herhand; it is the bodice; cleanliness is a fine thing. The white dress ishanging on the hook; it was washed in the teapot, and dried on the roof. Sheputs it on, ties a saffron-colored kerchief round her neck, and then the gownlooks whiter. I can see myself--I can see myself!"
"That's nothing to me," said little Gerda. "That does not concern me." Andthen off she ran to the further end of the garden.
The gate was locked, but she shook the rusted bolt till it was loosened, andthe gate opened; and little Gerda ran off barefooted into the wide world. Shelooked round her thrice, but no one followed her. At last she could run nolonger; she sat down on a large stone, and when she looked about her, she sawthat the summer had passed; it was late in the autumn, but that one could notremark in the beautiful garden, where there was always sunshine, and wherethere were flowers the whole year round.
"Dear me, how long I have staid!" said Gerda. "Autumn is come. I must not restany longer." And she got up to go further.
Oh, how tender and wearied her little feet were! All around it looked so coldand raw: the long willow-leaves were quite yellow, and the fog dripped fromthem like water; one leaf fell after the other: the sloes only stood full offruit, which set one's teeth on edge. Oh, how dark and comfortless it was inthe dreary world!
FOURTH STORY. The Prince and Princess
Gerda was obliged to rest herself again, when, exactly opposite to her, alarge Raven came hopping over the white snow. He had long been looking atGerda and shaking his head; and now he said, "Caw! Caw!" Good day! Good day!He could not say it better; but he felt a sympathy for the little girl, andasked her where she was going all alone. The word "alone" Gerda understoodquite well, and felt how much was expressed by it; so she told the Raven herwhole history, and asked if he had not seen Kay.
The Raven nodded very gravely, and said, "It may be--it may be!"
"What, do you really think so?" cried the little girl; and she nearly squeezedthe Raven to death, so much did she kiss him.
"Gently, gently," said the Raven. "I think I know; I think that it may belittle Kay. But now he has forgotten you for the Princess."
"Does he live with a Princess?" asked Gerda.
"Yes--listen," said the Raven; "but it will be difficult for me to speak yourlanguage. If you understand the Raven language I can tell you better."
"No, I have not learnt it," said Gerda; "but my grandmother understands it,and she can speak gibberish too. I wish I had learnt it."
"No matter," said the Raven; "I will tell you as well as I can; however, itwill be bad enough." And then he told all he knew.
"In the kingdom where we now are there lives a Princess, who isextraordinarily clever; for she has read all the newspapers in the wholeworld, and has forgotten them again--so clever is she. She was lately, it issaid, sitting on her throne--which is not very amusing after all--when shebegan humming an old tune, and it was just, 'Oh, why should I not be married?''That song is not without its meaning,' said she, and so then she wasdetermined to marry; but she would have a husband who knew how to give ananswer when he was spoken to--not one who looked only as if he were a greatpersonage, for that is so tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the courtdrummed together; and when they heard her intention, all were very pleased,and said, 'We are very glad to hear it; it is the very thing we were thinkingof.' You may believe every word I say," said the Raven; "for I have a tamesweetheart that hops about in the palace quite free, and it was she who toldme all this.
"The newspapers appeared forthwith with a border of hearts and the initials ofthe Princess; and therein you might read that every good-looking young man wasat liberty to come to the palace and speak to the Princess; and he who spokein such wise as showed he felt himself at home there, that one the Princesswould choose for her husband.
"Yes, Yes," said the Raven, "you may believe it; it is as true as I am sittinghere. People came in crowds; there was a crush and a hurry, but no one wassuccessful either on the first or second day. They could all talk well enoughwhen they were out in the street; but as soon as they came inside thepalace gates, and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys ingold on the staircase, and the large illuminated saloons, then they wereabashed; and when they stood before the throne on which the Princess wassitting, all they could do was to repeat the last word they had uttered, andto hear it again did not interest her very much. It was just as if the peoplewithin were under a charm, and had fallen into a trance till they came outagain into the street; for then--oh, then--they could chatter enough. Therewas a whole row of them standing from the town-gates to the palace. I wasthere myself to look," said the Raven. "They grew hungry and thirsty; but fromthe palace they got nothing whatever, not even a glass of water. Some of thecleverest, it is true, had taken bread and butter with them: but none sharedit with his neighbor, for each thought, 'Let him look hungry, and then thePrincess won't have him.'"
"But Kay--little Kay," said Gerda, "when did he come? Was he among thenumber?"
"Patience, patience; we are just come to him. It was on the third day when alittle personage without horse or equipage, came marching right boldly up tothe palace; his eyes shone like yours, he had beautiful long hair, but hisclothes were very shabby."
"That was Kay," cried Gerda, with a voice of delight. "Oh, now I've foundhim!" and she clapped her hands for joy.
"He had a little knapsack at his back," said the Raven.
"No, that was certainly his sledge," said Gerda; "for when he went away hetook his sledge with him."
"That may be," said the Raven; "I did not examine him so minutely; but I knowfrom my tame sweetheart, that when he came into the court-yard of the palace,and saw the body-guard in silver, the lackeys on the staircase, he was not theleast abashed; he nodded, and said to them, 'It must be very tiresome to standon the stairs; for my part, I shall go in.' The saloons were gleaming withlustres--privy councillors and excellencies were walking about barefooted, andwore gold keys; it was enough to make any one feel uncomfortable. His bootscreaked, too, so loudly, but still he was not at all afraid."
"That's Kay for certain," said Gerda. "I know he had on new boots; I haveheard them creaking in grandmama's room."
"Yes, they creaked," said the Raven. "And on he went boldly up to thePrincess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning-wheel. All theladies of the court, with their attendants and attendants' attendants, and allthe cavaliers, with their gentlemen and gentlemen's gentlemen, stood round;and the nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. It was hardlypossible to look at the gentleman's gentleman, so very haughtily did he standin the doorway."
"It must have been terrible," said little Gerda. "And did Kay get thePrincess?"
"Were I not a Raven, I should have taken the Princess myself, although I ampromised. It is said he spoke as well as I speak when I talk Raven language;this I learned from my tame sweetheart. He was bold and nicely behaved; he hadnot come to woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased him,and he pleased her."
"Yes, yes; for certain that was Kay," said Gerda. "He was so clever; he couldreckon fractions in his head. Oh, won't you take me to the palace?"
"That is very easily said," answered the Raven. "But how are we to manage it?I'll speak to my tame sweetheart about it: she must advise us; for so much Imust tell you, such a little girl as you are will never get permission toenter."
"Oh, yes I shall," said Gerda; "when Kay hears that I am here, he will comeout directly to fetch me."
"Wait for me here on these steps," said the Raven. He moved his head backwardsand forwards and flew away.
The evening was closing in when the Raven returned. "Caw--caw!" said he. "Shesends you her compliments; and here is a roll for you. She took it out of thekitchen, where there is bread enough. You are hungry, no doubt. It is notpossible for you to enter the palace, for you are barefooted: the guards insilver, and the lackeys in gold, would not allow it; but do not cry, you shallcome in still. My sweetheart knows a little back stair that leads to thebedchamber, and she knows where she can get the key of it."
And they went into the garden in the large avenue, where one leaf was fallingafter the other; and when the lights in the palace had all graduallydisappeared, the Raven led little Gerda to the back door, which stood halfopen.
Oh, how Gerda's heart beat with anxiety and longing! It was just as if she hadbeen about to do something wrong; and yet she only wanted to know if littleKay was there. Yes, he must be there. She called to mind his intelligent eyes,and his long hair, so vividly, she could quite see him as he used to laughwhen they were sitting under the roses at home. "He will, no doubt, be glad tosee you--to hear what a long way you have come for his sake; to know howunhappy all at home were when he did not come back."
Oh, what a fright and a joy it was!
They were now on the stairs. A single lamp was burning there; and on the floorstood the tame Raven, turning her head on every side and looking at Gerda, whobowed as her grandmother had taught her to do.
"My intended has told me so much good of you, my dear young lady," said thetame Raven. "Your tale is very affecting. If you will take the lamp, I will gobefore. We will go straight on, for we shall meet no one."
"I think there is somebody just behind us," said Gerda; and something rushedpast: it was like shadowy figures on the wall; horses with flowing manes andthin legs, huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen on horseback.
"They are only dreams," said the Raven. "They come to fetch the thoughts ofthe high personages to the chase; 'tis well, for now you can observe them inbed all the better. But let me find, when you enjoy honor and distinction,that you possess a grateful heart."
"Tut! That's not worth talking about," said the Raven of the woods.
They now entered the first saloon, which was of rose-colored satin, withartificial flowers on the wall. Here the dreams were rushing past, but theyhastened by so quickly that Gerda could not see the high personages. One hallwas more magnificent than the other; one might indeed well be abashed; and atlast they came into the bedchamber. The ceiling of the room resembled a largepalm-tree with leaves of glass, of costly glass; and in the middle, from athick golden stem, hung two beds, each of which resembled a lily. One waswhite, and in this lay the Princess; the other was red, and it was here thatGerda was to look for little Kay. She bent back one of the red leaves, and sawa brown neck. Oh! that was Kay! She called him quite loud by name, held thelamp towards him--the dreams rushed back again into the chamber--he awoke,turned his head, and--it was not little Kay!
The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was young and handsome.And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped, too, and asked what wasthe matter. Then little Gerda cried, and told her her whole history, and allthat the Ravens had done for her.
"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess. They praised the Ravensvery much, and told them they were not at all angry with them, but they werenot to do so again. However, they should have a reward. "Will you fly abouthere at liberty," asked the Princess; "or would you like to have a fixedappointment as court ravens, with all the broken bits from the kitchen?"
And both the Ravens nodded, and begged for a fixed appointment; for theythought of their old age, and said, "It is a good thing to have a provisionfor our old days."
And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and more than this hecould not do. She folded her little hands and thought, "How good men andanimals are!" and she then fell asleep and slept soundly. All the dreams flewin again, and they now looked like the angels; they drew a little sledge, inwhich little Kay sat and nodded his head; but the whole was only a dream, andtherefore it all vanished as soon as she awoke.
The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. Theyoffered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a happy life; but she beggedto have a little carriage with a horse in front, and for a small pair ofshoes; then, she said, she would again go forth in the wide world and look forKay.
Shoes and a muff were given her; she was, too, dressed very nicely; and whenshe was about to set off, a new carriage stopped before the door. It was ofpure gold, and the arms of the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon it;the coachman, the footmen, and the outriders, for outriders were there, too,all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess assisted her into thecarriage themselves, and wished her all success. The Raven of the woods, whowas now married, accompanied her for the first three miles. He sat besideGerda, for he could not bear riding backwards; the other Raven stood in thedoorway, and flapped her wings; she could not accompany Gerda, because shesuffered from headache since she had had a fixed appointment and ate so much.The carriage was lined inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats were fruitsand gingerbread.
"Farewell! Farewell!" cried Prince and Princess; and Gerda wept, and the Ravenwept. Thus passed the first miles; and then the Raven bade her farewell, andthis was the most painful separation of all. He flew into a tree, and beat hisblack wings as long as he could see the carriage, that shone from afar like asunbeam.
FIFTH STORY. The Little Robber Maiden
They drove through the dark wood; but the carriage shone like a torch, and itdazzled the eyes of the robbers, so that they could not bear to look at it.
"'Tis gold! 'Tis gold!" they cried; and they rushed forward, seized thehorses, knocked down the little postilion, the coachman, and the servants, andpulled little Gerda out of the carriage.
"How plump, how beautiful she is! She must have been fed on nut-kernels," saidthe old female robber, who had a long, scrubby beard, and bushy eyebrows thathung down over her eyes. "She is as good as a fatted lamb! How nice she willbe!" And then she drew out a knife, the blade of which shone so that it wasquite dreadful to behold.
"Oh!" cried the woman at the same moment. She had been bitten in the ear byher own little daughter, who hung at her back; and who was so wild andunmanageable, that it was quite amusing to see her. "You naughty child!" saidthe mother: and now she had not time to kill Gerda.
"She shall play with me," said the little robber child. "She shall give me hermuff, and her pretty frock; she shall sleep in my bed!" And then she gave hermother another bite, so that she jumped, and ran round with the pain; and theRobbers laughed, and said, "Look, how she is dancing with the little one!"
"I will go into the carriage," said the little robber maiden; and she wouldhave her will, for she was very spoiled and very headstrong. She and Gerda gotin; and then away they drove over the stumps of felled trees, deeper anddeeper into the woods. The little robber maiden was as tall as Gerda, butstronger, broader-shouldered, and of dark complexion; her eyes were quiteblack; they looked almost melancholy. She embraced little Gerda, and said,"They shall not kill you as long as I am not displeased with you. You are,doubtless, a Princess?"
"No," said little Gerda; who then related all that had happened to her, andhow much she cared about little Kay.
The little robber maiden looked at her with a serious air, nodded her headslightly, and said, "They shall not kill you, even if I am angry with you:then I will do it myself"; and she dried Gerda's eyes, and put both her handsin the handsome muff, which was so soft and warm.
At length the carriage stopped. They were in the midst of the court-yard of arobber's castle. It was full of cracks from top to bottom; and out of theopenings magpies and rooks were flying; and the great bull-dogs, each of whichlooked as if he could swallow a man, jumped up, but they did not bark, forthat was forbidden.
In the midst of the large, old, smoking hall burnt a great fire on the stonefloor. The smoke disappeared under the stones, and had to seek its own egress.In an immense caldron soup was boiling; and rabbits and hares were beingroasted on a spit.
"You shall sleep with me to-night, with all my animals," said the littlerobber maiden. They had something to eat and drink; and then went into acorner, where straw and carpets were lying. Beside them, on laths and perches,sat nearly a hundred pigeons, all asleep, seemingly; but yet they moved alittle when the robber maiden came. "They are all mine," said she, at thesame time seizing one that was next to her by the legs and shaking it so thatits wings fluttered. "Kiss it," cried the little girl, and flung the pigeon inGerda's face. "Up there is the rabble of the wood," continued she, pointing toseveral laths which were fastened before a hole high up in the wall; "that'sthe rabble; they would all fly away immediately, if they were not wellfastened in. And here is my dear old Bac"; and she laid hold of the horns of areindeer, that had a bright copper ring round its neck, and was tethered tothe spot. "We are obliged to lock this fellow in too, or he would make hisescape. Every evening I tickle his neck with my sharp knife; he is sofrightened at it!" and the little girl drew forth a long knife, from a crackin the wall, and let it glide over the Reindeer's neck. The poor animalkicked; the girl laughed, and pulled Gerda into bed with her.
"Do you intend to keep your knife while you sleep?" asked Gerda; looking at itrather fearfully.
"I always sleep with the knife," said the little robber maiden. "There is noknowing what may happen. But tell me now, once more, all about little Kay; andwhy you have started off in the wide world alone." And Gerda related all, fromthe very beginning: the Wood-pigeons cooed above in their cage, and the othersslept. The little robber maiden wound her arm round Gerda's neck, held theknife in the other hand, and snored so loud that everybody could hear her; butGerda could not close her eyes, for she did not know whether she was to liveor die. The robbers sat round the fire, sang and drank; and the old femalerobber jumped about so, that it was quite dreadful for Gerda to see her.
Then the Wood-pigeons said, "Coo! Coo! We have seen little Kay! A white hencarries his sledge; he himself sat in the carriage of the Snow Queen, whopassed here, down just over the wood, as we lay in our nest. She blew upon usyoung ones; and all died except we two. Coo! Coo!"
"What is that you say up there?" cried little Gerda. "Where did the Snow Queengo to? Do you know anything about it?"
"She is no doubt gone to Lapland; for there is always snow and ice there. Onlyask the Reindeer, who is tethered there."
"Ice and snow is there! There it is, glorious and beautiful!" said theReindeer. "One can spring about in the large shining valleys! The Snow Queenhas her summer-tent there; but her fixed abode is high up towards the NorthPole, on the Island called Spitzbergen."
"Oh, Kay! Poor little Kay!" sighed Gerda.
"Do you choose to be quiet?" said the robber maiden. "If you don't, I shallmake you."
In the morning Gerda told her all that the Wood-pigeons had said; and thelittle maiden looked very serious, but she nodded her head, and said, "That'sno matter--that's no matter. Do you know where Lapland lies!" she asked of theReindeer.
"Who should know better than I?" said the animal; and his eyes rolled in hishead. "I was born and bred there--there I leapt about on the fields of snow."
"Listen," said the robber maiden to Gerda. "You see that the men are gone;but my mother is still here, and will remain. However, towards morning shetakes a draught out of the large flask, and then she sleeps a little: then Iwill do something for you." She now jumped out of bed, flew to her mother;with her arms round her neck, and pulling her by the beard, said, "Goodmorrow, my own sweet nanny-goat of a mother." And her mother took hold of hernose, and pinched it till it was red and blue; but this was all done out ofpure love.
When the mother had taken a sup at her flask, and was having a nap, the littlerobber maiden went to the Reindeer, and said, "I should very much like to giveyou still many a tickling with the sharp knife, for then you are so amusing;however, I will untether you, and help you out, so that you may go back toLapland. But you must make good use of your legs; and take this little girlfor me to the palace of the Snow Queen, where her playfellow is. You haveheard, I suppose, all she said; for she spoke loud enough, and you werelistening."
The Reindeer gave a bound for joy. The robber maiden lifted up little Gerda,and took the precaution to bind her fast on the Reindeer's back; she even gaveher a small cushion to sit on. "Here are your worsted leggins, for it will becold; but the muff I shall keep for myself, for it is so very pretty. But Ido not wish you to be cold. Here is a pair of lined gloves of my mother's;they just reach up to your elbow. On with them! Now you look about the handsjust like my ugly old mother!"
And Gerda wept for joy.
"I can't bear to see you fretting," said the little robber maiden. "This isjust the time when you ought to look pleased. Here are two loaves and a hamfor you, so that you won't starve." The bread and the meat were fastened tothe Reindeer's back; the little maiden opened the door, called in all thedogs, and then with her knife cut the rope that fastened the animal, and saidto him, "Now, off with you; but take good care of the little girl!"
And Gerda stretched out her hands with the large wadded gloves towards therobber maiden, and said, "Farewell!" and the Reindeer flew on over bush andbramble through the great wood, over moor and heath, as fast as he could go.
"Ddsa! Ddsa!" was heard in the sky. It was just as if somebody was sneezing.
"These are my old northern-lights," said the Reindeer, "look how they gleam!"And on he now sped still quicker--day and night on he went: the loaves wereconsumed, and the ham too; and now they were in Lapland.
SIXTH STORY. The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman
Suddenly they stopped before a little house, which looked very miserable. Theroof reached to the ground; and the door was so low, that the family wereobliged to creep upon their stomachs when they went in or out. Nobody was athome except an old Lapland woman, who was dressing fish by the light of an oillamp. And the Reindeer told her the whole of Gerda's history, but first of allhis own; for that seemed to him of much greater importance. Gerda was sochilled that she could not speak.
"Poor thing," said the Lapland woman, "you have far to run still. You havemore than a hundred miles to go before you get to Finland; there the SnowQueen has her country-house, and burns blue lights every evening. I will giveyou a few words from me, which I will write on a dried haberdine, for paper Ihave none; this you can take with you to the Finland woman, and she will beable to give you more information than I can."
When Gerda had warmed herself, and had eaten and drunk, the Lapland womanwrote a few words on a dried haberdine, begged Gerda to take care of them, puther on the Reindeer, bound her fast, and away sprang the animal. "Ddsa! Ddsa!"was again heard in the air; the most charming blue lights burned the wholenight in the sky, and at last they came to Finland. They knocked at thechimney of the Finland woman; for as to a door, she had none.
There was such a heat inside that the Finland woman herself went aboutalmost naked. She was diminutive and dirty. She immediately loosened littleGerda's clothes, pulled off her thick gloves and boots; for otherwise the heatwould have been too great--and after laying a piece of ice on the Reindeer'shead, read what was written on the fish-skin. She read it three times: shethen knew it by heart; so she put the fish into the cupboard--for it mightvery well be eaten, and she never threw anything away.
Then the Reindeer related his own story first, and afterwards that of littleGerda; and the Finland woman winked her eyes, but said nothing.
"You are so clever," said the Reindeer; "you can, I know, twist all the windsof the world together in a knot. If the seaman loosens one knot, then he has agood wind; if a second, then it blows pretty stiffly; if he undoes the thirdand fourth, then it rages so that the forests are upturned. Will you give thelittle maiden a potion, that she may possess the strength of twelve men, andvanquish the Snow Queen?"
"The strength of twelve men!" said the Finland woman. "Much good that wouldbe!" Then she went to a cupboard, and drew out a large skin rolled up. Whenshe had unrolled it, strange characters were to be seen written thereon; andthe Finland woman read at such a rate that the perspiration trickled down herforehead.
But the Reindeer begged so hard for little Gerda, and Gerda looked soimploringly with tearful eyes at the Finland woman, that she winked, and drewthe Reindeer aside into a corner, where they whispered together, while theanimal got some fresh ice put on his head.
"'Tis true little Kay is at the Snow Queen's, and finds everything there quiteto his taste; and he thinks it the very best place in the world; but thereason of that is, he has a splinter of glass in his eye, and in his heart.These must be got out first; otherwise he will never go back to mankind, andthe Snow Queen will retain her power over him."
"But can you give little Gerda nothing to take which will endue her with powerover the whole?"
"I can give her no more power than what she has already. Don't you see howgreat it is? Don't you see how men and animals are forced to serve her; howwell she gets through the world barefooted? She must not hear of her powerfrom us; that power lies in her heart, because she is a sweet and innocentchild! If she cannot get to the Snow Queen by herself, and rid little Kay ofthe glass, we cannot help her. Two miles hence the garden of the Snow Queenbegins; thither you may carry the little girl. Set her down by the large bushwith red berries, standing in the snow; don't stay talking, but hasten back asfast as possible." And now the Finland woman placed little Gerda on theReindeer's back, and off he ran with all imaginable speed.
"Oh! I have not got my boots! I have not brought my gloves!" cried littleGerda. She remarked she was without them from the cutting frost; but theReindeer dared not stand still; on he ran till he came to the great bush withthe red berries, and there he set Gerda down, kissed her mouth, while largebright tears flowed from the animal's eyes, and then back he went as fast aspossible. There stood poor Gerda now, without shoes or gloves, in the verymiddle of dreadful icy Finland.
She ran on as fast as she could. There then came a whole regiment ofsnow-flakes, but they did not fall from above, and they were quite bright andshining from the Aurora Borealis. The flakes ran along the ground, and thenearer they came the larger they grew. Gerda well remembered how large andstrange the snow-flakes appeared when she once saw them through amagnifying-glass; but now they were large and terrific in anothermanner--they were all alive. They were the outposts of the Snow Queen. Theyhad the most wondrous shapes; some looked like large ugly porcupines; otherslike snakes knotted together, with their heads sticking out; and others,again, like small fat bears, with the hair standing on end: all were ofdazzling whiteness--all were living snow-flakes.
Little Gerda repeated the Lord's Prayer. The cold was so intense that shecould see her own breath, which came like smoke out of her mouth. It grewthicker and thicker, and took the form of little angels, that grew more andmore when they touched the earth. All had helms on their heads, and lancesand shields in their hands; they increased in numbers; and when Gerda hadfinished the Lord's Prayer, she was surrounded by a whole legion. They thrustat the horrid snow-flakes with their spears, so that they flew into a thousandpieces; and little Gerda walked on bravely and in security. The angels pattedher hands and feet; and then she felt the cold less, and went on quicklytowards the palace of the Snow Queen.
But now we shall see how Kay fared. He never thought of Gerda, and least ofall that she was standing before the palace.
SEVENTH STORY. What Took Place in the Palace of the Snow Queen, and whatHappened Afterward
The walls of the palace were of driving snow, and the windows and doors ofcutting winds. There were more than a hundred halls there, according as thesnow was driven by the winds. The largest was many miles in extent; all werelighted up by the powerful Aurora Borealis, and all were so large, so empty,so icy cold, and so resplendent! Mirth never reigned there; there was nevereven a little bear-ball, with the storm for music, while the polar bears wenton their hind legs and showed off their steps. Never a little tea-party ofwhite young lady foxes; vast, cold, and empty were the halls of the SnowQueen. The northern-lights shone with such precision that one could tellexactly when they were at their highest or lowest degree of brightness. In themiddle of the empty, endless hall of snow, was a frozen lake; it was crackedin a thousand pieces, but each piece was so like the other, that it seemed thework of a cunning artificer. In the middle of this lake sat the Snow Queenwhen she was at home; and then she said she was sitting in the Mirror ofUnderstanding, and that this was the only one and the best thing in the world.
Little Kay was quite blue, yes nearly black with cold; but he did not observeit, for she had kissed away all feeling of cold from his body, and his heartwas a lump of ice. He was dragging along some pointed flat pieces of ice,which he laid together in all possible ways, for he wanted to make somethingwith them; just as we have little flat pieces of wood to make geometricalfigures with, called the Chinese Puzzle. Kay made all sorts of figures, themost complicated, for it was an ice-puzzle for the understanding. In his eyesthe figures were extraordinarily beautiful, and of the utmost importance; forthe bit of glass which was in his eye caused this. He found whole figureswhich represented a written word; but he never could manage to represent justthe word he wanted--that word was "eternity"; and the Snow Queen had said, "Ifyou can discover that figure, you shall be your own master, and I will makeyou a present of the whole world and a pair of new skates." But he could notfind it out.
"I am going now to warm lands," said the Snow Queen. "I must have a look downinto the black caldrons." It was the volcanoes Vesuvius and Etna that shemeant. "I will just give them a coating of white, for that is as it ought tobe; besides, it is good for the oranges and the grapes." And then away sheflew, and Kay sat quite alone in the empty halls of ice that were miles long,and looked at the blocks of ice, and thought and thought till his skull wasalmost cracked. There he sat quite benumbed and motionless; one would haveimagined he was frozen to death.
Suddenly little Gerda stepped through the great portal into the palace. Thegate was formed of cutting winds; but Gerda repeated her evening prayer, andthe winds were laid as though they slept; and the little maiden entered thevast, empty, cold halls. There she beheld Kay: she recognised him, flew toembrace him, and cried out, her arms firmly holding him the while, "Kay, sweetlittle Kay! Have I then found you at last?"
But he sat quite still, benumbed and cold. Then little Gerda shed burningtears; and they fell on his bosom, they penetrated to his heart, they thawedthe lumps of ice, and consumed the splinters of the looking-glass; he lookedat her, and she sang the hymn:
"The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet,And angels descend there the children to greet."
Hereupon Kay burst into tears; he wept so much that the splinter rolled out ofhis eye, and he recognised her, and shouted, "Gerda, sweet little Gerda! Wherehave you been so long? And where have I been?" He looked round him. "How coldit is here!" said he. "How empty and cold!" And he held fast by Gerda, wholaughed and wept for joy. It was so beautiful, that even the blocks of icedanced about for joy; and when they were tired and laid themselves down, theyformed exactly the letters which the Snow Queen had told him to find out; sonow he was his own master, and he would have the whole world and a pair of newskates into the bargain.
Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they grew quite blooming; she kissed his eyes,and they shone like her own; she kissed his hands and feet, and he was againwell and merry. The Snow Queen might come back as soon as she liked; therestood his discharge written in resplendent masses of ice.
They took each other by the hand, and wandered forth out of the large hall;they talked of their old grandmother, and of the roses upon the roof; andwherever they went, the winds ceased raging, and the sun burst forth. And whenthey reached the bush with the red berries, they found the Reindeer waitingfor them. He had brought another, a young one, with him, whose udder wasfilled with milk, which he gave to the little ones, and kissed their lips.They then carried Kay and Gerda--first to the Finland woman, where theywarmed themselves in the warm room, and learned what they were to do on theirjourney home; and they went to the Lapland woman, who made some newclothes for them and repaired their sledges.
The Reindeer and the young hind leaped along beside them, and accompanied themto the boundary of the country. Here the first vegetation peeped forth; hereKay and Gerda took leave of the Lapland woman. "Farewell! Farewell!" they allsaid. And the first green buds appeared, the first little birds began tochirrup; and out of the wood came, riding on a magnificent horse, which Gerdaknew (it was one of the leaders in the golden carriage), a young damsel with abright-red cap on her head, and armed with pistols. It was the little robbermaiden, who, tired of being at home, had determined to make a journey to thenorth; and afterwards in another direction, if that did not please her. Sherecognised Gerda immediately, and Gerda knew her too. It was a joyful meeting.
"You are a fine fellow for tramping about," said she to little Kay; "I shouldlike to know, faith, if you deserve that one should run from one end of theworld to the other for your sake?"
But Gerda patted her cheeks, and inquired for the Prince and Princess.
"They are gone abroad," said the other.
"But the Raven?" asked little Gerda.
"Oh! The Raven is dead," she answered. "His tame sweetheart is a widow, andwears a bit of black worsted round her leg; she laments most piteously, butit's all mere talk and stuff! Now tell me what you've been doing and how youmanaged to catch him."
And Gerda and Kay both told their story.
And "Schnipp-schnapp-schnurre-basselurre," said the robber maiden; and shetook the hands of each, and promised that if she should some day pass throughthe town where they lived, she would come and visit them; and then away sherode. Kay and Gerda took each other's hand: it was lovely spring weather, withabundance of flowers and of verdure. The church-bells rang, and the childrenrecognised the high towers, and the large town; it was that in which theydwelt. They entered and hastened up to their grandmother's room, whereeverything was standing as formerly. The clock said "tick! tack!" and thefinger moved round; but as they entered, they remarked that they were nowgrown up. The roses on the leads hung blooming in at the open window; therestood the little children's chairs, and Kay and Gerda sat down on them,holding each other by the hand; they both had forgotten the cold emptysplendor of the Snow Queen, as though it had been a dream. The grandmother satin the bright sunshine, and read aloud from the Bible: "Unless ye become aslittle children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."
And Kay and Gerda looked in each other's eyes, and all at once they understoodthe old hymn:
"The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet,And angels descend there the children to greet."
There sat the two grown-up persons; grown-up, and yet children; children atleast in heart; and it was summer-time; summer, glorious summer!