How Nuna did long to go out and play in the snow,—dig it, toss it, roll about in it, anything just to be out ! But nurse was cross, and had work to do, and could not be bothered. Besides, it was too cold for any sensible person to be out, she said. Such nonsense! But what could you expect of an old woman, anyway 4 Nurse Mary must be thirty if she was a day, and women of that age are usually rheumatic and full of aching bones. Of course Mary did n't wish to go out, but it was quite different with a little girl of six. It would be a good lesson to cross old nurse to slip out by herself and have a good time, without saying a word to anybody. Besides, the warm room made her drowsy; she could hardly keep her eyes open. The more Nuna thought of it, the better she liked the idea; and in a few moments a very naughty little girl had slipped downstairs and put on her warm red coat, mittens, and fur cap. It was an easy matter to pull back the bolt of the door and let herself out. Once outside, the crisp cold air sent the blood tingling to her cheeks, and soon they were as bright as her red cloak. Oh, how fine it was to be free!
Nuna thought she would begin by digging a hole in the big snow-drift that had piled up against the fence. So she set to work with her wooden shovel. Her little arms worked hard and fast, and it was not long before she had scooped out a cave so large that she could stand upright in it. Still she did not stop working. Now it would be great fun to make a tunnel. Farther and farther she dug, until at last, looking back, she could just see the opening of the cave, shining far off like a big lantern. She must be miles underground, she thought. How delightful it was! She clapped her hands with joy, and laughed aloud. As she returned to her work, she was suddenly startled by a small voice close by her, which said,—
"Don't pound so hard, little girl; I will open the door for you."
Nuna looked around to find the owner of the voice, but she could see nothing. Just then a great mass of snow in front of her fell backwards, and there in the opening stood a beautiful little creature not much larger than Nuna's hand. The small girl's heart thumped and then almost stood still, but the fairy looked smilingly at her.
"What do you wish in the Ice Queen's palace?" she asked.
"Oh, I did not know that any one lived here," said Nuna. "Is there really a palace?"
"Yes," replied the pretty creature. "Hundreds and hundreds of us live here, and our Queen has great power. Would you like to visit the palace?"
"Yes, indeed, I would," answered the little girl." But I don't think I will have time. Nurse might miss me, and then there would be trouble."
"Oh, that will be all right. I will see that you are back in time for dinner."
So saying, the fairy took Nuna's hand and led her down a long passage-way of snow and ice which opened up from the place where the fairy had first appeared. At the end of this hall they found themselves in a great open space, not unlike a meadow, except that it was covered with green ice instead of grass. Running through it were streams of clear water, on which dozens of large white swans were lazily swimming. Not far off could be seen., the Ice Queen's palace, its glistening domes and towers all carved and decorated in the most delicate patterns, and looking at a distance as though made of cobwebs and fine lace. A clear bright light shone over the sparkling landscape. Altogether Nuna had never seen anything half so strange and beautiful.
When they reached the palace they found the entrance guarded by two large birds, whose plumage, with the exception of the breast and a single spot under each eye, was of jetty black. These were the only birds of their kind in the world, and were called the Great Auk. It was on a trip to Iceland, to consult with one of the wise men of that country, that the Queen had secured them, and ever since they had guarded her palace door with great dignity. The birds now threw open the doors, and the little visitor with her guide entered the hall of the palace. Nuna was quite dazzled at the magnificence of the inside. All of the furniture was carved out of precious rock crystal. Great masses of rare minerals in the form of huge icicles hung from the ceilings, and shone like millions of diamonds. Showers of sparkling white spray shot up from many fountains, in the basins of which gold and silver fish swam about. After passing through a great many halls and apartments, they finally reached the throne-room where the Ice Queen's court was assembled. Here the fairy was obliged to leave Nuna alone for a moment, while she asked permission to bring the little stranger in; but she soon returned, and together they entered the presence of the Queen.
Nuna could never forget the scene that now met her eyes. The room was an octagon in shape, and from each of the eight sides flashed the reflected light of countless rare jewels set in patterns on the walls. Over one side stretched a perfectly shaped and brightly colored rainbow, and beneath the very centre of the rainbow's arch, seated on a chair of gold with crimson hangings, was the Queen of the Ice World. Her dress was of a pale blue material, the color of the summer sky, and embroidered with tiny stars of silver. A soft white light filled the room, shining on the sparkling costumes of hundreds of fairies, who stood about in tiny groups, busily talking. They were all dressed very much alike, though Nuna noticed that some wore crowns set with diamonds, while others had plain gold bands upon their foreheads. Her guide explained that those who wore the crowns were the leading fairies of the court, while the less important members were allowed to wear the gold band only.
The Queen was very kind to Nuna, and seemed much pleased to receive a visit from so pretty a mortal. She at once invited her to attend a supper and court ball that was to be given that night. In the mean while, as there was some little time to spare, she suggested that Nuna might enjoy a trip through some foreign countries on the back of her great swan,—the swiftest messenger she possessed. This was an honor indeed, and the little girl did not hesitate to accept the invitation. After the Queen had warned them not to fail to return in time for supper, Nuna and her companion hastened out to where the swan awaited them. They settled themselves on the soft feathery back, and the huge bird spread its wings and floated upwards. Nuna nestled down among the feathers, feeling that it was the warmest and most comfortable spot she had ever known. The fairy sat very close beside her, explaining all the wonderful things that they saw. As they flew swiftly along, the domes of the Ice Palace grew smaller and smaller, and were soon mere specks in the distance. The rivers and lakes and the big mountains of ice gradually disappeared also. It was not long before they found themselves high up over a great body of water, so large that Nuna's eyes fairly popped. She did not know that there could be so much water in the world. The fairy whispered that they were crossing an ocean, and when they peeped over the sides of the swan's wings they could see the pretty mermaids with long golden hair rise out of the water to watch their flight.
Soon the ocean was left behind, and they were darting swiftly over strange foreign countries. They skirted a great desert, and caught a glimpse of the pyramids and the Arab mosques and palaces. Nuna would have liked to watch more closely the crocodiles and the funny-looking boats on the Nile, and the queer people on the streets with their white-turbaned heads and black skins. But they could not linger. The Chinese, with their long pig-tails and curious pagodas, came into view. They saw elephants with tusks of ivory, lions and tigers, strange tribes of people, beautiful birds, and horrid reptiles. Forgetting time and place, Nuna thought only of the enjoyment of the present moment. Nurse would scold dreadfully, she knew; but was n't it worth a scolding to be flying through the world like this 4 And then perhaps she could get the swan to take nurse along on such a trip some day.
Though perfectly warm and comfortable herself, Nuna could tell by the various animals and birds beneath and about her that they were reaching a much colder country than any they had yet passed. The reindeer trotted awkwardly by; the big white polar bear went diving down under the water, trying to make a dinner off the fat baby seals that were swimming about. The little guide told Nuna that they would soon reach the home of a wonderful Wizard, who lived in a great mountain and was tremendously wise. He knew of everything that was going on in the world, and had control over all things beneath the earth's surface. He kept a wonderful book by his side, and now and then wrote down his thoughts and experiences, which he intended to publish some day. In a short time the swan had reached the mountain in which the Wizard lived, and after alighting they entered an underground passage at the foot of the mountain. All was dark at first, but as they went in deeper and deeper they could see lights twinkling, and could hear noises in regular order like the pounding of many hammers. As they went along, the lights grew brighter and the pounding noise increased, until finally a sudden turn in the passage brought them out into what seemed to be an immense workroom, where hundreds of tiny figures were hammering away and flames were darting out of many small furnaces. The workmen were too busy to notice the strangers, and they walked about the room undisturbed. The fairy explained to Nuna that all the gold and silver in the world was controlled by the great Wizard, and that it was the duty of these little workmen to melt the precious metals and make them into large bricks, to be stored away in the caverns of the mountain as a reserve for future generations. The waste pieces of gold and silver cut from the bricks were thrown into a stream flowing through the centre of the room, and this stream, filtering through the earth in all directions, carried the metals to every part of the world. So now when you hear of the discovery of some wonderful mine of gold or silver, you will know that the owner has only happened to open up one of the veins leading to the mountain of the great Wizard.
Nuna would have liked to stay in this wonderful workshop a long while, but their time was limited. The fairy now led her into a large room where sat the Wizard himself,—a very old man with a long white beard, bending over his book of wisdom. Three times every day the Wizard received news from the four quarters of the world. His messengers, who flooded the earth, were made invisible by a magic band worn around the forehead. In the centre of this band was a little white light, which in the outside world could not be seen, but inside the mountain it became very brilliant indeed. All through the dark caves Nuna saw these lights darting back and forth, and she knew that the messengers of the wise man were busy on their errands. The Wizard never left the room in which they now saw him, yet from this dark vault he issued orders which controlled many of the earth's greatest forces. He let Nuna peep into the book of knowledge, in which he had been reading for many ages, and there she read of things which quite took away her breath. One statement in particular made a great impression on her; this was that the sun became sixteen inches smaller each day. She knew that the earth was kept warm by the heat of the sun, and she thought with horror that if the sun faded away at this rate it would not be long before the world would be frozen up entirely. But the Wizard smiled and told her that even though the sun did get about four miles smaller each year, it was large enough to last at least forty thousand years longer, so there was no need of worrying yet.
Evening had now come, and it was time to return to the Ice Queen's palace. So bidding good-bye to the Wizard, Nuna and her guide hastened back to the entrance of the mountain. Here the swan was awaiting them, and they were soon upon its back floating swiftly homeward. It was great fun to sail along so near the sky and watch the stars come out. First one tiny light peeped out, twinkling and smiling, then another trembled into view, and finally a saucy third appeared. Then they seemed to rush out pell-mell, so fast that Nuna could not possibly count them; and soon the sky was spread with little flashing golden points. All this time they were coming nearer and nearer to the Ice Queen's palace. Soon they could see the beautiful lace-like domes and towers of ice, and in another moment they were before the doors, which the Great Auks swung back for them with much ceremony.
The Ice Queen and her court were just gathering in the large supper room when Nuna appeared. She was at once led to the place of honor beside the Queen, at the head of a long table covered with the most delicious dainties that could be imagined. Tiny gold plates inlaid with jewels, and sparkling glasses cut out of single diamonds stood before each guest. Fat little brownies dressed in funny costumes ran back and forth serving the food, and all the while lovely voices were singing to the accompaniment of enchanting music. Nuna sat for some time in silent admiration of the beauty of the scene. Then, just as she was turning to speak to the Queen, she heard a loud noise like the ringing of a doorbell; some one pulled her rudely by the arm, and a voice said,—
"I declare! she has fallen sound asleep at this cold window."
Nuna opened her eyes to find Mary standing over her, and her father and mother just come in for dinner.
"Where are the fairies and brownies?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Her father laughed outright.
"Why, the child is still dreaming!"
Dreaming! Nuna was quite provoked. The Ice Queen's palace, the fairies, her trip through the world, her visit to the Wizard of the mountain,—all this a dream? She knew better than that, of course; and, what was more, she intended to go back to the Ice Queen's palace again the very first chance she had.