She ran on as fast as she could . A regiment of gigantic snowflakes came against her , but they melted when they touched her , and she went on with fresh courage . And now we must see what Kay was doing . He was not thinking of Gerda , and never dreamt that she was standing outside the palace . The walls of the palace were built of driven snow , and the doors and windows of piercing winds . There were more than a hundred halls in it all of frozen snow . The largest was several miles long ; the bright Northern lights lit them up , and very large and empty and cold and glittering they were ! In the middle of the great hall was a frozen lake which had cracked in a thousand pieces ; each piece was exactly like the other . Here the Snow-queen used to sit when she was at home . Little Kay was almost blue and black with cold , but he did not feel it , for she had kissed away his feelings and his heart was a lump of ice . He was pulling about some sharp , flat pieces of ice , and trying to fit one into the other . He thought each was most beautiful , but that was because of the splinter of glass in his eye . He fitted them into a great many shapes , but he wanted to make them spell the word ` Love . ' The Snow-queen had said , ` If you can spell out that word you shalt be your own master . I will give you the whole world and a new pair of skates . ' But he could not do it . ` Now I must fly to warmer countries , ' said the Snow-queen . ' I must go and powder my black kettles ! ' -LRB- This was what she called Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius . -RRB- ` It does the lemons and grapes good . '
And off she flew , and Kay sat alone XXXXX the great hall trying to do his puzzle .
against as at in into of outside that to with