But this poor old woman, who came out of the hut, was all
shrivelled up, as it were, and seemed as if she had hardly a bit of
flesh on her bones, and her hair was nearly as white as the snow, and
the wind blew it from under her cap in all directions; she had an old
rag of a gray cloak on, that she tried to keep about her, with one
hand, as well as she could, but the wind got in so through the holes,
that she might almost as well have been without it. She had come out
to look for sticks; for the gusts that swept down from the hills
snapped off the little twigs from the tall trees, and scattered them
about the road. After picking up a few, the poor old creature, shaking
her head, and shivering beneath the cold blast, turned back, and
re-entered her cottage; shutting her door after her, so that her cat
was left without. Poor pussy soon spied her friend, who had spoken so
condescendingly to her the day before, on the top of the wall, and she
saluted her with an air of the greatest deference and humility.

Friskarina returned her a gracious bow, and, without further
hesitation, dropped down from the wall.

It was lucky for her that there was a good thick bed of snow at the
bottom, so that she fell soft; but she rolled quite over. However,
she was nothing the worse, and she ran up to her new acquaintance;
and, after remarking what a snowy morning it was, demanded her name.

'My mistress calls me Tibb, please your ladyship;' said the poor
little cat, shaking with the cold.

'I did not know whether I should see you this morning,' pursued
Friskarina, 'I thought you might be sitting by the fire all day, as it
is so very cold.'

'Dear ma'am, we have no fire!' exclaimed poor Tibb, as if astonished
at the very idea of such a luxury; 'my mistress won't have a fire till
she wants to boil her dinner.'

'Then how do you ever keep yourself warm?' asked Friskarina, quite
horror-struck.

'Please, my lady, I never _am_ warm,' said poor Tibb, in a very
melancholy voice.

Friskarina was ready to cry, 'And you say they never give you any
dinner, either?' she said.

'Very seldom, indeed, your ladyship.'

'But your mistress must be dreadfully cruel,' exclaimed Friskarina,
'to take no more care of you than that!'

'What can she do?' replied Tibb, 'she has not got enough for herself
and her daughter, so it is not likely she can give me anything. If
your gracious ladyship would just please to step this way, and peep
under the door, y