singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land;
below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow
crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone
the moon, clear and bright,-and so Kay passed through the long winter’s
night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.
Third Story: The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Could Conjure
But how fared little Gerda during Kay’s absence? What had become of
him, no one knew, nor could any one give the slightest information,
excepting the boys, who said that he had tied his sledge to another very
large one, which had driven through the street, and out at the town gate.
Nobody knew where it went; many tears were shed for him, and little Gerda
wept bitterly for a long time. She said she knew he must be dead; that he
was drowned in the river which flowed close by the school. Oh, indeed
those long winter days were very dreary. But at last spring came, with warm
sunshine. “Kay is dead and gone,” said little Gerda.
“I don’t believe it,” said the sunshine.
“He is dead and gone,” she said to the sparrows.
“We don’t believe it,” they replied; and at last little Gerda began to doubt
it herself. “I will put on my new red shoes,” she said one morning, “those
that Kay has never seen, and then I will go down to the river, and ask for
him.” It was quite early when she kissed her old grandmother, who was still
asleep; then she put on her red shoes, and went quite alone out of the town
gates toward the river. “Is it true that you have taken my little playmate
away from me?” said she to the river. “I will give you my red shoes if you
will give him back to me.” And it seemed as if the waves nodded to her in a
strange manner. Then she took off her red shoes, which she liked better than
anything else, and threw them both into the river, but they fell near the
bank, and the little waves carried them back to the land, just as if the river
would not take from her what she loved best, because they could not give
her back little Kay.
