... Just at this moment it happened that
little Gerda came through the great door of the castle. Cutting winds
were raging around her, but she offered up a prayer and the winds sank
down as if they were going to sleep. She went on till she came to the
large empty hall, and caught sight of Kay. She ran toward him and threw
her arms round his neck. Gerda held him fast, while she exclaimed,
“Kay, dear little Kay, I have found you at last.”
But he sat quite still, stiff and cold.
Then little Gerda wept hot tears, which fell on his breast, and
penetrated into his heart, thawed the lump of ice and washed away the
little piece of glass which had stuck there. Then he looked at her, and
Kay burst into tears. He wept so that the splinter of glass swam out of
his eye.
Then he recognized Gerda, and said, joyfully, “Gerda,
dear little Gerda, where have you been all this time, and where have I
been?” And he looked all around him and said, “How cold it is, and how
large and empty it all looks!” He clung to Gerda, and she laughed and
wept for joy. It was so pleasing to see them that the pieces of ice even
danced about and when they were tired and went to lie down, they formed
themselves into the letters of the word which the Snow Queen had said he
must find out before he could be his own master, and have the whole world
and a pair of new skates.
Then Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they became
blooming; and she kissed his eyes, and they shone like her own. She
kissed his hands and his feet and then he became quite healthy and
cheerful. The Snow Queen might come home now when she pleased, for there
stood his certainty of freedom, in the word she wanted, written in
shining letters of ice.
Then they took each other by the hand, and went forth from the great
palace of ice.
Gerda.
