In the great square the boldest among the boys often tied their sledges to the country people’s carts, and thus rode with them a good way.  They went capitally.  When they were in the midst of their playing there came a great sledge.  It was painted quite white, and in it sat somebody wrapped in a rough, white fur, with a white, rough cap on his head.  The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay bound his little sledge to it, and so he drove on with it.  It went faster and faster, straight into the next street.  The man who drove turned round and nodded in a familiar way to Kay; it was as if they knew one another.  Each time when Kay wanted to cast loose his little sledge, the stranger nodded again, and then Kay remained where he was, and thus they drove out at the town gate.  Then the snow began to fall so rapidly that the boy could not see a hand’s breadth before him; but still he drove on.  Now he hastily dropped the cord, so as to get loose from the great sledge; but that was no use, for his sledge was fast bound to the other, and they went on like the wind.  Then he called out quite loudly, but nobody heard him; and the snow beat down, and the sledge flew onward.  Every now and then it gave a jump, and they seemed to be flying over hedges and ditches.  The boy was quite frightened.  He wanted to say his prayer, but could remember nothing but the multiplication table.

The snowflakes became larger and larger; at last they looked like white fowls.  All at once they sprang aside, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up.  The fur and the cap were made altogether of ice.  It was A lady, tall and slender, and brilliantly white:  it was the Snow Queen!

“We have driven well!” said she.  “But why do you tremble with cold?  Creep into my fur.”

And she seated him beside her in her own sledge, and wrapped the fur round him, and he felt as if he sank into a snowdrift.

“Are you still cold?” asked she, and then she kissed him on the forehead.

Oh, that was colder than ice; it went quite through to his heart, half of which was already a lump of ice.  He felt as if he were going to die, but only for a moment; for then he seemed quite well, and he did not notice the cold all about him.

“My sledge!  Don’t forget my sledge.”

That was the first thing he thought of; and it was bound fast to one of the white chickens, and this chicken flew behind him with the sledge upon its back.  The Snow Queen kissed Kay again, and then he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home.

“Now you shall have no more kisses,” said she, “for if you did I should kiss you to death.”