him.

"Well," said the Snow Man, "I haven't seen the silver hen. I never did
see any hens in these woods, but she may be around here for all that.
You had better go home with me and spend the night. My wife will be
delighted to see you. We have never had any company in our lives, and
she is always scolding about it."

The children looked at each other and shook harder than they had done
with cold.

"I'm--afraid our mothers--wouldn't--like to have us," stammered the
oldest boy.

"Nonsense," cried the Snow Man. "Here I have been visiting you, time
and time again, and stood whole days out in your front yards, and
you've never been to see me. I think it is about time that I had some
return. Come along." With that the Snow Man seized the right ear of
the oldest boy between a finger and thumb, and danced him along, and
all the rest, trembling, and whimpering under their breaths, followed.

It was not long before they reached the Snow Man's house, which was
really quite magnificent: a castle built of blocks of ice fitted
together like bricks, and with two splendid snow-lions keeping guard
at the entrance. The Snow Man's wife stood in the door, and the Snow
Children stood behind her and peeped around her skirts; they were
smiling from ear to ear. They had never seen any company before, and
they were so delighted that they did not know what to do.

[Illustration: THE SNOW MAN'S HOUSE.]

"We have some company, wife," shouted the Snow Man.

"Bring them right in," said his wife with a beaming face. She was very
handsome, with beautiful pink cheeks and blue eyes, and she wore a
trailing white robe, like a queen. She kissed the children all around,
and shivers crept down their backs, for it was like being kissed by an
icicle. "Kiss your company, my dears," she said to the Snow Children,
and they came bashfully forward and kissed Dame Penny's scholars with
these same chilly kisses.

"Now," said the Snow Man's wife, "come right in and sit down where it
is cool--you look very hot."

"Hot," when the poor scholars were quite stiff with cold! They looked
at one another in dismay, but did not dare say anything. They followed
the Snow Man's wife into her grand parlor.

"Come right over here by the north window where it is cooler," said
she, "and the children shall bring you some fans."

The Snow Children floated up with fans--all the Snow Man's family
had a lovely floating gait--and the scholars took them with feeble
curtesi