as she ate.

The beautiful sunny hair rippled and shone round the dear little face,
which was so soft and sweet. 'I have always longed to have a dear little
girl just like you, and you shall see how happy we will be together.'

And as she combed Gerda's hair, Gerda thought less and less about Kay,
for the old woman was a witch, but not a wicked witch, for she only
enchanted now and then to amuse herself, and she did want to keep little
Gerda very much.

So she went into the garden and waved her stick over all the rose bushes
and blossoms and all; they sank down into the black earth, and no one
could see where they had been.

The old woman was afraid that if Gerda saw the roses she would begin to
think about her own, and then would remember Kay and run away.

Then she led Gerda out into the garden. How glorious it was, and what
lovely scents filled the air! All the flowers you can think of blossomed
there all the year round.

Gerda jumped for joy and played there till the sun set behind the
tall cherry trees, and then she slept in a beautiful bed with red silk
pillows filled with violets, and she slept soundly and dreamed as a
queen does on her wedding day.

The next day she played again with the flowers in the warm sunshine, and
so many days passed by. Gerda knew every flower, but although there were
so many, it seemed to her as if one were not there, though she could not
remember which.

She was looking one day at the old woman's sun-hat which had hte painted
flowers on it, and there she saw a rose.

The witch had forgotten to make that vanish when she had made the
other roses disappear under the earth. it was so difficult to think of
everything.

'Why, there are no roses here!' cried Gerda,, and she hunted amongst all
the flowers, but not one was to be found. Then she sat down and cried,
but her tears fell just on the spot where a rose bush had sunk, and when
her warm tears watered the earth, the bush came up in full bloom just
as it had been before. Gerda kissed the roses and thought of the lovely
roses at home, and with them came the thought of little Kay.

'Oh, what have I been doing!' said the little girl. 'I wanted to look
for Kay.'

She ran to the end of the garden. The gate was shut, but she pushed
against the rusty lock so that it came open.

She ran out with her little bare feet. No one came after her. At last
she could not run any longer, and she sat down on a large stone. When
she looked ro