Page:Hans Andersen's fairy tales (Robinson).djvu/135

 HANS ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES a moment, then nodded her head, saying, 'No matter! no matter! Do you know where Lapland is?' asked she of the reindeer.

'Who should know but I?' returned the animal, his eyes kindling. 'There was I born and bred, there how often have I bounded over the wild icy plains!'

'Listen to me!' said the robber-maiden to Gerda. 'You see all our men are gone; my mother is still here and will remain, but towards noon she will drink a little out of the great flask, and after that she will sleep—then I will do something for you!' And so saying she jumped out of bed, sprang upon her mother, pulled her by the beard, and said, 'My own dear mam, good morning!' and the mother caressed her so roughly that she was red and blue all over; however, it was from pure love. When her mother was fast asleep, the robber-maiden went up to the reindeer, and said, 'I should have great pleasure in stroking you a few more times with my sharp dagger, for then you look so droll, but never mind, I will unloose your chain and help you to escape, on condition that you run as fast as you can to Lapland, and take this little girl to the castle of the Snow Queen, where her playfellow is. You must have heard her story, for she speaks loud enough, and you know well how to listen.'

The reindeer bounded with joy, and the robber-maiden lifted Gerda on his back, taking the precaution to bind her on firmly, as well as to give her a little cushion to sit on. 'And here,' said she, 'are your fur boots, you will need them in that cold country; the muff I must keep myself, it is too pretty to part with; but you shall not be frozen. Here are my mother's huge gloves, they reach up to the elbow; put them on—now your hands look as clumsy as my old mother's!'

And Gerda shed tears of joy. 104