of glass which had stuck there. Then he looked at her, and she sang-
“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”
Then Kay burst into tears, and 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 the pieces of ice even danced about;
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. Then Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they became blooming; and
she kissed his eyes, and they shone like her own; she kissed his hands and
his feet, and then 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. Then they carried Kay and Gerda first to the Finland woman, where
they warmed themselves thoroughly in the hot room, and she gave them
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 the birds began to twitter, and the forest too was full of
green young leaves; and out of it came a beautiful horse, which Gerda
