poor girl was so stiff and numb that she could just gasp,
'Still warm, O King!'

Now her gentle, courteous words and her uncomplaining ways touched
King Frost, and he had pity on her, and he wrapped her up in furs, and
covered her with blankets, and he fetched a great box, in which were
beautiful jewels and a rich robe embroidered in gold and silver. And
she put it on, and looked more lovely than ever, and King Frost
stepped with her into his sledge, with six white horses.

In the meantime the wicked step-mother was waiting at home for news of
the girl's death, and preparing pancakes for the funeral feast. And
she said to her husband: 'Old man, you had better go out into the
fields and find your daughter's body and bury her.' Just as the old
man was leaving the house the little dog under the table began to
bark, saying:

'_Your_ daughter shall live to be your delight;
_Her_ daughter shall die this very night.'

'Hold your tongue, you foolish beast!' scolded the woman. 'There's a
pancake for you, but you must say:

"_Her_ daughter shall have much silver and gold;
_His_ daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold."'

But the doggie ate up the pancake and barked, saying:

'His daughter shall wear a crown on her head;
Her daughter shall die unwooed, unwed.'

Then the old woman tried to coax the doggie with more pancakes and to
terrify it with blows, but he barked on, always repeating the same
words. And suddenly the door creaked and flew open, and a great heavy
chest was pushed in, and behind it came the step-daughter, radiant and
beautiful, in a dress all glittering with silver and gold. For a
moment the step-mother's eyes were dazzled. Then she called to her
husband: 'Old man, yoke the horses at once into the sledge, and take
my daughter to the same field and leave her on the same spot exactly;'
and so the old man took the girl and left her beneath the same tree
where he had parted from his daughter. In a few minutes King Frost
came past, and, looking at the girl, he said:

[Illustration: "Maiden are you Warm?"]

'Are you warm, maiden?'

'What a blind old fool you must be to ask such a question!' she
answered angrily. 'Can't you see that my hands and feet are nearly
frozen?'

Then King Frost sprang to and fro in front of her, questioning her,
and getting only rude, rough words in reply, till at last he got very
angry, and cracked his fingers, and gnashed his teeth, and froze he