The walls of the palace were formed of drifted snow, and the windows and
doors of cutting winds. There were more than a hundred rooms in it, all
as if they had been formed of snow blown together. The largest of them
extended for several miles. They were all lighted up by the vivid light
of the aurora, and were so large and empty, so icy cold and glittering!
There were no amusements here; not even a little bear's ball, when the
storm might have been the music, and the bears could have danced on
their hind legs and shown their good manners. There were no pleasant
games of snapdragon, or touch, nor even a gossip over the tea table for
the young-lady foxes. Empty, vast, and cold were the halls of the Snow
Queen.
The flickering flames of the northern lights could be plainly seen,
whether they rose high or low in the heavens, from every part of the
castle. In the midst of this empty, endless hall of snow was a frozen
lake, broken on its surface into a thousand forms; each piece resembled
another, because each was in itself perfect as a work of art, and in the
center of this lake sat the Snow Queen when she was at home. She called
the lake "The Mirror of Reason," and said that it was the best, and
indeed the only one, in the world.
[Illustration: In the center of the lake sat the Snow Queen]
Little Kay was quite blue with cold,--indeed, almost black,--but he did
not feel it; for the Snow Queen had kissed away the icy shiverings, and
his heart was already a lump of ice. He dragged some sharp, flat pieces
of ice to and fro and placed them together in all kinds of positions, as
if he wished to make something out of them--just as we try to form
various figures with little tablets of wood, which we call a "Chinese
puzzle." Kay's figures were very artistic; it was the icy game of reason
at which he played, and in his eyes the figures were very remarkable and
of the highest importance; this opinion was owing to the splinter of
glass still sticking in his eye. He composed many complete figures,
forming different words, but there was one word he never could manage to
form, although he wished it very much. It was the word "Eternity."
The Snow Queen had said to him, "When you can find out this, you shall
be your own master, and I will give you the whole world and a new pair
of skates." But he could not accomplish it.
"Now I must hasten away to warmer countries," said the Snow Queen. "I
will go and look into the black craters of the tops of the burning
mountains, Etna and Vesuvius, as they are called. I shall make them look
white, which will be good for them and for the lemons and the grapes."
And away flew the Snow Queen, leaving little Kay quite alone in the
great hall which was so many miles in length. He sat and looked at his
pieces of ice and was thinking so deeply and sat so still that any one
might have supposed he was frozen.
Just at this moment it happened that little Gerda came through the great
door of the castle. Cutting winds were raging around her, but she
offered up a prayer, and the winds sank down as if they were going to
sleep. On she went till she came to the large, empty hall and caught
sight of Kay. She knew him directly; she flew to him and threw her arms
around his neck and held him fast while she exclaimed, "Kay, dear little
Kay, I have found you at last!"
But he sat quite still, stiff and cold.
Then little Gerda wept hot tears, which fell on his breast, and
penetrated into his heart, and thawed the lump of ice, and washed away
the little piece of glass which had stuck there. Then he looked at her,
and she sang:
"Roses bloom and fade away,
But we the Christ-child see alway."
Then Kay burst into tears. He wept so that the splinter of glass swam
out of his eye. Then he recognized Gerda and said joyfully, "Gerda, dear
little Gerda, where have you been all this time, and where have I been?"
And he looked all around him and said, "How cold it is, and how large
and empty it all looks," and he clung to Gerda, and she laughed and wept
for joy.
It was so pleasing to see them that even the pieces of ice danced, and
when they were tired and went to lie down they formed themselves into
the letters of the word which the Snow Queen had said he must find out
before he could be his own master and have the whole world and a pair of
new skates.
Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they became blooming; and she kissed his
eyes till they shone like her own; she kissed his hands and feet, and he
became quite healthy and cheerful. The Snow Queen might come home now
when she pleased, for there stood his certainty of freedom, in the word
she wanted, written in shining letters of ice.
Then they took each other by the hand and went forth from the great
palace of ice. They spoke of the grandmother and of the roses on the
roof, and as they went on the winds were at rest, and the sun burst
forth. When they arrived at the bush with red berries, there stood the
reindeer waiting for them, and he had brought another young reindeer
with him, whose udders were full, and the children drank her warm milk
and kissed her on the mouth.
They carried Kay and Gerda first to the Finland woman, where they warmed
themselves thoroughly in the hot room and had directions about their
journey home. Next they went to the Lapland woman, who had made some new
clothes for them and put their sleighs in order. Both the reindeer ran
by their side and followed them as far as the boundaries of the country,
where the first green leaves were budding. And here they took leave of
the two reindeer and the Lapland woman, and all said farewell.
Then birds began to twitter, and the forest too was full of green young
leaves, and out of it came a beautiful horse, which Gerda remembered,
for it was one which had drawn the golden coach. A young girl was riding
upon it, with a shining red cap on her head and pistols in her belt. It
was the little robber maiden, who had got tired of staying at home; she
was going first to the north, and if that did not suit her, she meant to
try some other part of the world. She knew Gerda directly, and Gerda
remembered her; it was a joyful meeting.
"You are a fine fellow to go gadding about in this way," said she to
little Kay. "I should like to know whether you deserve that any one
should go to the end of the world to find you."
But Gerda patted her cheeks and asked after the prince and princess.
"They are gone to foreign countries," said the robber girl.
"And the crow?" asked Gerda.
"Oh, the crow is dead," she replied. "His tame sweetheart is now a widow
and wears a bit of black worsted round her leg. She mourns very
pitifully, but it is all stuff. But now tell me how you managed to get
him back."
Then Gerda and Kay told her all about it.
"Snip, snap, snurre! it's all right at last," said the robber girl.
She took both their hands and promised that if ever she should pass
through the town, she would call and pay them a visit. And then she rode
away into the wide world.
But Gerda and Kay went hand in hand toward home, and as they advanced,
spring appeared more lovely with its green verdure and its beautiful
flowers. Very soon they recognized the large town where they lived, and
the tall steeples of the churches in which the sweet bells were ringing
a merry peal, as they entered it and found their way to their
grandmother's door.
They went upstairs into the little room, where all looked just as it
used to do. The old clock was going "Tick, tick," and the hands pointed
to the time of day, but as they passed through the door into the room
they perceived that they were both grown up and become a man and woman.
The roses out on the roof were in full bloom and peeped in at the
window, and there stood the little chairs on which they had sat when
children, and Kay and Gerda seated themselves each on their own chair
and held each other by the hand, while the cold, empty grandeur of the
Snow Queen's palace vanished from their memories like a painful dream.
The grandmother sat in God's bright sunshine, and she read aloud from
the Bible, "Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise
enter into the kingdom of God." And Kay and Gerda looked into each
other's eyes and all at once understood the words of the old song:
Roses bloom and fade away,
But we the Christ-child see alway.
And they both sat there, grown up, yet children at heart, and it was
summer--warm, beautiful summer.
[Illustration]