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Suddenly the storm stopped, the big sledge pulled up[10], and the person who was driving in it rose. The fur and the cap were all of snow: it was a lady, tall and shining white—the Snow Queen.
“We have travelled well,” said she; “but you mustn’t freeze. Creep into my bearskin.” She put him beside her in the sledge. “Are you still cold?” she asked, and kissed him on the forehead. It was colder than ice, and struck straight to his heart. And after that, he didn’t notice the cold anymore.
Once more the Snow Queen kissed Kay, and he had forgotten little Gerda and grandmother and everyone at home.
“No more kisses now,” said she, “or I should kiss you to death.” Kay looked at her; she was very pretty. She wasn’t scary anymore. In his eyes she was perfect, and he felt no fear. Kay looked at the immense spaces of the air[11], and they flew high among the dark clouds, and the storm wind whistled and roared as if it were singing old ballads. They flew over forest and lake, sea and land: below them the wolves howled; above them flew the black crows, and over all shone the moon[12], large and bright.
Exercises
1.1. Translate into Russian.
attention, attic, blossom, copper, frosty, gutter, herbs, immense, mankind, sledge, snowflake, splinter, temper, to creep, to distort, to grimace, to judge, to swarm, to twine, troll
1.2. Answer the questions.
1. What is the looking-glass?
2. What happened to the looking-glass?
3. What were the names of the boy and the girl?
4. Were the children brother and sister?
5. Which flowers did the parents grow in their boxes?
6. Who told the children about the Snow Queen?
7. When did the pieces of looking glass got into the boys, eye and heart?
8. What was the boy going to do at the big square?
9. Who drove the large white sledge?
10. When did the boy meet the Snow Queen for the first time?
1.3. Insert the right prepositions (about, after, at, for, in, into, on, to, with).
1. Everyone spread the news all ______ the miracle looking glass.
2. It was very amusing _________ him.
3. And _____________ that, he didn’t notice the cold anymore.
4. Everything good and pretty that was reflected _________ it became bad and ugly.
5. They would heat copper pe
6. Kay and Gerda were sitting looking _____________ a picture book.
7. She nodded towards the window and beckoned _____________ her hand.
8. It broke _____________ millions of tiny pieces.
9. There isn’t enough room ___________ everybody to have a little garden.
10. Now we are going to hear all _____________ it.
1.4. Complete the sentences using the words below.
millions • high • bees • excellent • wicked • window • boxes • wonderful • swallows • stricking
1. Those are white _______ swarming.
2. It was _____________ fun.
3. It broke into _____________ of tiny pieces.
4. Once there was a __________ troll.
5. You could get from one ____________ to the other in one step.
6. The pea plants hung down over the _____________.
7. They freeze into ___________ patterns.
8. The ____________ built their nests.
9. The clock in the great church tower was _____________ five.
10. They flew _____________ among the dark clouds.
1.5. True or false?
1. The troll broke the magic looking-glass.
2. Kay got pieces of the looking-glass in his eye and in his heart.
3. Gerda lived far away from Kay.
4. Gerda saw the Snow Queen first.
5. Kay tied his sledge to the Snow Queen’s.
6. The children’s parents had a garden where they grew roses.
7. The Snow Queen kissed Kay twice.
8. The wicked troll kept a school.
9. The children weren’t allowed to play under the roses.
10. The glass made Kay tease everyone but Gerda.
Story the Third
The Flower Garden of the Old Woman who knew Magic
But how fared little Gerda when Kay didn’t came back? Nobody knew where he was, nobody could tell. The boys could only say they had seen him tie his little sledge to another large one which had driven down the street and out at the town gate. Many tears were shed. Then they said he was dead, drowned in the river. Dark indeed and long were those winter days.
Then came spring with warmer sunshine.
“Kay is dead and gone,” said little Gerda.
“I don’t believe it,” said the Sunshine.
“He’s dead and gone,” said she to the swallows.
“We don’t believe it,” they answered, and at last little Gerda didn’t believe it either.
“I’ll put on my new red shoes,” she said one morning early, “the ones Kay has never seen, and I’ll go down to the river and ask about him.”
It was quite early. She kissed her old grandmother as she slept, put on the red shoes, and went out of the gate to the river, quite alone[13].
“Is it true that you have taken Kay? I’ll give you my red shoes if you’ll give him back to me.”
The waves, she thought, nodded to her; so she took her red shoes, the most precious thing she had, and threw them into the river, but they fell close to the bank, and the waves carried them back to her. It seemed that the river would not take them because it didn’t have little Kay. But Gerda thought she hadn’t thrown the shoes far enough, so she climbed into a boat that lay near the water, and went out to the further end of it and threw out the shoes. But the boat wasn’t tied down, and with the movement she made it floated away from the shore. She noticed this and tried to get out, but before she could get back the boat was too far away, and began to drift quickly. Little Gerda was very much frightened and began to cry; but nobody heard her except the sparrows, and they couldn’t carry her ashore; but they flew along the bank and sang, as if to comfort her: “Here we are, here we are!” The boat was carried downstream; little Gerda sat still; her little red shoes floated behind, but couldn’t reach the boat[14], which was now travelling faster.
Both banks were very pretty, with beautiful flowers, old trees, and sloping fields with sheep and cows; but there weren’t any people to be seen.
“Perhaps the river will carry me to Kay,” thought Gerda. At last the boat came to a large cherry orchard, in which was a little house with blue and red windows, and outside two wooden soldiers, who were protecting it. Gerda called to them, thinking they were alive: but very naturally[15] they didn’t answer. The river carried the boat straight towards the shore. Gerda called out louder, and out of the house came a very old woman with a walking stick. She had a large sun-hat on, painted with the most splendid flowers.
“Poor dear little child,” said the old woman, “how ever did you get out here on this great big river, far out into the wide world?[16]” And with that the old woman stepped into the water and hooked her stick to the boat and pulled it ashore[17] and lifted little Gerda out. Gerda was glad to be on dry land again, but she was a little afraid. “Come now, and tell me who you are, and how you got here,” said the old woman. When Gerda had told her everything and asked if she had seen little Kay, the woman said he hadn’t passed that way, but he would come, sure enough, and she wasn’t to be worried, but must taste her cherries, and look at her flowers. Then she took Gerda by the hand, and they went into the little house, and the old woman locked the door.
10
pulled up – остановилась
11
immense spaces of the air – громадные пустоты воздуха
12
over all shone the moon – все вокруг освещала Луна
13
quite alone – совсем одна
14
couldn’t reach the boat – не могли догнать лодку
15
very naturally – естественно
16
far out into the wide world – так далеко от дома
17
pulled it ashore – притянула ее к берегу