tever her
step-daughter did, she grumbled at her and scolded her for everything;
it was simply dreadful. And the old woman began to want to drive her
step-daughter off the face of the earth, and she said to her husband:
"Take her away into the dark forest, and let the frost freeze her to
death." So there was nothing for the old man to do but harness his horse
to the sledge, put his daughter in it, and drive her off into the
forest. And he brought her right into the middle of the forest, set her
down on the snow, and drove off home.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And there the little girl sat in the forest all alone, shivering with
the cold. When lo and behold! there was old King Frost coming towards
her, and he said: "Hullo, little girl, are you warm?" And she answered:
"Yes, King Frost." Then he blew a cold breath on to her and again asked:
"Are you warm, little girl?" And she answered: "Yes, King Frost!" Then
he began to make it still colder; he made the branches crack, and
covered them with hoar-frost, and let loose such cold, that you could
hear the air creaking.

[Illustration]

Then he asked her again: "Well, little girl, are you warm now?" And she
answered: "Yes, King Frost!" And when he saw that she was a good girl,
he felt sorry for her. So he put on her a fur coat, with trimmings of
beaver, and made her warm, and said to her: "You're a good girl, and so
I'll stop. Here's a little present for you from King Frost."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And he brought her a trunk full of all sorts of things, silver and gold,
and bright-coloured stones.

[Illustration]

Meanwhile her step-mother was saying to the old man at home: "I expect
your daughter's frozen by now. Go into the forest and bring her back."
So he harnessed his horse to the sledge, and set out to fetch his
daughter.

[Illustration]

Then his wife began to watch at the window, and at last she saw her
husband driving towards home, and she said to herself: "That's all
right, there come the old man's daughter's bones back in the sledge."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

But the doggie outside said: "Bow, wow, bow-wow-wow! The old man's
bringing his daughter home. She's blooming like the poppy-bloom, and
she's got a fine present, and a new coat with a beaver collar!" And lo
and behold! it was true; the old man drove up with his daughter alive
and well, in her fine clothes and with her presents. "Well," thought her
step-mother, "if