s,
and floor, and ceiling; but altogether without effect; the queen only
smiled, for she had a good conscience. Suddenly, however, a dreadful
scream was heard from the nursery, and Mrs. Rinkelmann rushed upstairs
to see what was the matter. No sooner had she gone than the two warders
of the chimney-corners stepped out into the middle of the room, and
said, in a low voice,--

"Is your majesty ready?"

"Have you no hearts?" said the king; "or are they as black as your
faces? Did you not hear the child scream? I must know what is the
matter with her before I go."

"Your majesty may keep his mind easy on that point," replied the
warders. "We had tried everything we could think of to get rid of her
majesty the queen, but without effect. So a young madcap Shadow, half
against the will of the older ones of us, slipped upstairs into the
nursery; and has, no doubt, succeeded in appalling the baby, for he is
very lithe and long-legged.--Now, your majesty."

"I will have no such tricks played in my nursery," said the king,
rather angrily. "You might put the child beside itself."

"Then there would be twins, your majesty. And we rather like twins."

"None of your miserable jesting! You might put the child out of her
wits."

"Impossible, sire; for she has not got into them yet."

"Go away," said the king.

"Forgive us, your majesty. Really, it will do the child good; for that
Shadow will, all her life, be to her a symbol of what is ugly and bad.
When she feels in danger of hating or envying anyone, that Shadow will
come back to her mind and make her shudder."

"Very well," said the king. "I like that. Let us go."

The Shadows went through the same ceremonies and preparations as
before; during which, the young Shadow before-mentioned contrived to
make such grimaces as kept the baby in terror, and the queen in the
nursery, till all was ready. Then with a bound that doubled him up
against the ceiling, and a kick of his legs six feet out behind him, he
vanished through the nursery door, and reached the king's bed-chamber
just in time to take his place with the last who were melting through
the window in the rear of the litter, and settling down upon the snow
beneath. Away they went as before, a gliding blackness over the white
carpet. And it was Christmas-eve.

When they came in sight of the mountain-lake, the king saw that it was
crowded over its whole surface with a changeful intermingling of
Shadows. They were all tal