hile you sleep?" asked Gerda; looking
at it rather fearfully.

"I always sleep with the knife," said the little robber maiden. "There
is no knowing what may happen. But tell me now, once more, all about
little Kay; and why you have started off in the wide world alone." And
Gerda related all, from the very beginning: the Wood-pigeons cooed above
in their cage, and the others slept. The little robber maiden wound her
arm round Gerda's neck, held the knife in the other hand, and snored so
loud that everybody could hear her; but Gerda could not close her eyes,
for she did not know whether she was to live or die. The robbers sat
round the fire, sang and drank; and the old female robber jumped about
so, that it was quite dreadful for Gerda to see her.

Then the Wood-pigeons said, "Coo! Coo! We have seen little Kay! A white
hen carries his sledge; he himself sat in the carriage of the Snow
Queen, who passed here, down just over the wood, as we lay in our nest.
She blew upon us young ones; and all died except we two. Coo! Coo!"

"What is that you say up there?" cried little Gerda. "Where did the Snow
Queen go to? Do you know anything about it?"

"She is no doubt gone to Lapland; for there is always snow and ice
there. Only ask the Reindeer, who is tethered there."

"Ice and snow is there! There it is, glorious and beautiful!" said the
Reindeer. "One can spring about in the large shining valleys! The Snow
Queen has her summer-tent there; but her fixed abode is high up towards
the North Pole, on the Island called Spitzbergen."

"Oh, Kay! Poor little Kay!" sighed Gerda.

"Do you choose to be quiet?" said the robber maiden. "If you don't, I
shall make you."

In the morning Gerda told her all that the Wood-pigeons had said; and
the little maiden looked very serious, but she nodded her head, and
said, "That's no matter--that's no matter. Do you know where Lapland
lies!" she asked of the Reindeer.

"Who should know better than I?" said the animal; and his eyes rolled in
his head. "I was born and bred there--there I leapt about on the fields
of snow."

"Listen," said the robber maiden to Gerda. "You see that the men are
gone; but my mother is still here, and will remain. However, towards
morning she takes a draught out of the large flask, and then she sleeps
a little: then I will do something for you." She now jumped out of bed,
flew to her mother; with her arms round her neck, and pulling her by the
beard, said, "Good morr