` Unless the others exert themselves to the utmost , the house will be yours . ' Soon after they saw a man driving a carriage furiously towards them . ` Now , father , you shall see what I can do ! ' said the blacksmith , and he sprang after the carriage , tore off the four shoes of the horse as it was going at the top of its speed , and shod it with four new ones without checking its pace . ` You are a clever fellow ! ' said the father , ` and know your trade as well as your brother . I really do n't know to which of you I shall give the house . ' Then the third son said , ` Father , let me also show you something ; ' and , as it was beginning to rain , he drew his sword and swung it in cross cuts above his head , so that not a drop fell on him , and the rain fell heavier and heavier , till at last it was coming down like a waterspout , but he swung his sword faster and faster , and kept as dry as if he were under cover . When the father saw this he was astonished , and said , ` You have produced the greatest masterpiece : the house is yours . ' Both the other brothers were quite satisfied , and praised him too , and as they were so fond of each other they all three remained at home and plied their trades : and as they were so experienced and skilful they earned a great deal of money . So they lived happily together till they were quite old , and when one was taken ill and died the two others were so deeply grieved that they were also taken ill and died too . And so , because they had all been so clever , and so fond of each other , they were all laid in one grave . The Snow-queen Translated from the German of Hans Andersen by Miss Alma Alleyne . There was once a dreadfully wicked hobgoblin . One day he was in capital spirits because he had made a looking-glass which reflected everything that was good and beautiful in such a way that it dwindled almost to nothing , but anything that was bad and ugly stood out very clearly and looked much worse . The most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled spinach , and the best people looked repulsive or seemed to stand on their heads with no bodies ; their faces were so changed that they could not be recognised , and if anyone had a freckle you might be sure it would be spread over the nose and mouth . That was the best part of it , said the hobgoblin . But one day the looking-glass was dropped , and it broke into a million-billion and more pieces . And now came the greatest misfortune of all , for each of the pieces was hardly as large as a grain of sand and they flew about all over the world , and if anyone had a bit in his eye there it stayed , and then he would see everything awry , or else could only see the bad sides of a case . For every tiny splinter of the glass possessed the same power that the whole glass had .
Some people got a splinter XXXXX their hearts , and that was dreadful , for then it began to turn into a lump of ice .
For So as at because from in into till towards