白雪皇后

　　SEVENTH STORY. What Took Place in the Palace of the Snow Queen， and what Happened Afterward

　　the walls of the palace were of driving snow， and the windows and doors of cutting winds. There were more than a hundred halls there， according as the snow was driven by the winds. The largest was many miles in extent； all were lighted 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 never even a little bear-ball， with the storm for music， while the polar bears went on their hind legs and showed off their steps. Never a little tea-party of white young lady foxes； vast， cold， and empty were the halls of the Snow Queen. The northern-lights shone with such precision that one could tell exactly when they were at their highest or lowest deGREe of brightness. In the middle of the empty， endless hall of snow， was a frozen lake； it was cracked in a thousand pieces， but each piece was so like the other， that it seemed the work of a cunning artificer. In the middle of this lake sat the Snow Queen when she was at home； and then she said she was sitting in the Mirror of Understanding， 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 observe it， for she had kissed away all feeling of cold from his body， and his heart was 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 something with them； just as we have little flat pieces of wood to make geometrical figures with， called the Chinese Puzzle. Kay made all sorts