frost.

"Alas!" exclaimed Claribel, but that was all. It was no use sending for
doctors--no use doing anything. Her own delicate hand when she laid it
on the baby's heart was, as it were, blistered with cold. The next
morning she found it covered with chilblains.

But the baby did not mind. She flourished amazingly, heart or no heart.
She was perfectly healthy, ate well, slept well, and soon gave signs of
unusual intelligence. She was seldom put out, but when angry she
expressed her feelings by loud roars and screams, though with never a
tear! At first this did not seem strange, as no infant sheds tears
during the earliest weeks of its life. But when she grew to six months
old, then to a year, then to two and three, and was near her fourth
birthday without ever crying, it became plain that the prediction was
indeed to be fulfilled.

And the name "Ice-Heart" clung to her. In spite of all her royal
parents' commands to the contrary, "Princess Ice-Heart" she was called
far and near. It seemed as if people could not help it. "Sweet-Heart we
cannot name her, for sweet she is not," was murmured by all who came in
contact with her.

And it was true. Sweet she certainly was not. She was beautiful and
healthy and intelligent, but she had no feeling. In some ways she gave
little trouble. Her temper, though occasionally violent, was, as a rule,
placid; she seemed contented in almost all circumstances. When her good
old nurse died, she remarked coolly that she hoped her new attendant
would dress her hair more becomingly; when King Brave-Heart started on
some of his distant journeys she bade him good-bye with a smile,
observing that if he never came home again it would be rather amusing,
as she would then reign instead of him, and when she saw her mother
break into sobs at her unnatural speech she stared at her in blank
astonishment.

And so things went on until Ice-Heart reached her seventeenth year. By
this time she was, as regarded her outward appearance, as beautiful as
the fondest of parents could desire; she was also exceedingly strong and
healthy, and the powers of her mind were unusual. Her education had been
carefully directed, and she had learnt with ease and interest. She could
speak in several languages, her paintings were worthy of admiration, as
they were skillful and well executed; she could play with brilliancy on
various instruments. She had also been taught to sing, but her voice was
metallic and unpleasing.