e best people looked repulsive or seemed to stand on
their heads with no bodies; their faces were so changed that they could
not be recognised, and if anyone had a freckle you might be sure it
would be spread over the nose and mouth.

That was the best part of it, said the hobgoblin.

But one day the looking-glass was dropped, and it broke into a
million-billion and more pieces.

And now came the greatest misfortune of all, for each of the pieces
was hardly as large as a grain of sand and they flew about all over the
world, and if anyone had a bit in his eye there it stayed, and then he
would see everything awry, or else could only see the bad sides of a
case. For every tiny splinter of the glass possessed the same power that
the whole glass had.

Some people got a splinter in their hearts, and that was dreadful, for
then it began to turn into a lump of ice.

The hobgoblin laughed till his sides ached, but still the tiny bits of
glass flew about.

And now we will hear all about it.

In a large town, where there were so many people and houses that there
was not room enough for everybody to have gardens, lived two poor
children. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other
just as much as if they were. Their parents lived opposite one another
in two attics, and out on the leads they had put two boxes filled with
flowers. There were sweet peas in it, and two rose trees, which grow
beautifully, and in summer the two children were allowed to take their
little chairs and sit out under the roses. Then they had splendid games.

In the winter they could not do this, but then they put hot pennies
against the frozen window-panes, and made round holes to look at each
other through.

His name was Kay, and hers was Gerda.

Outside it was snowing fast.

'Those are the white bees swarming,' said the old grandmother.

'Have they also a queen bee?' asked the little boy, for he knew that the
real bees have one.

'To be sure,' said the grandmother. 'She flies wherever they swarm
the thickest. She is larger than any of them, and never stays upon the
earth, but flies again up into the black clouds. Often at midnight she
flies through the streets, and peeps in at all the windows, and then
they freeze in such pretty patterns and look like flowers.'

'Yes, we have seen that,' said both children; they knew that it was
true.

'Can the Snow-queen come in here?' asked the little girl.

'Just let her!' cried the b