Then came the spring , then the summer , when the roses grew and smelt more beautifully than ever . Kay and Gerda were looking at one of their picture-books -- the clock in the great church-tower had just struck five , when Kay exclaimed , ` Oh ! something has stung my heart , and I 've got something in my eye ! ' The little girl threw her arms round his neck ; he winked hard with both his eyes ; no , she could see nothing in them . ' I think it is gone now , ' said he ; but it had not gone . It was one of the tiny splinters of the glass of the magic mirror which we have heard about , that turned everything great and good reflected in it small and ugly . And poor Kay had also a splinter in his heart , and it began to change into a lump of ice . It did not hurt him at all , but the splinter was there all the same . ` Why are you crying ? ' he asked ; ` it makes you look so ugly ! There 's nothing the matter with me . Just look ! that rose is all slug-eaten , and this one is stunted ! What ugly roses they are ! ' And he began to pull them to pieces . ` Kay , what are you doing ? ' cried the little girl . And when he saw how frightened she was , he pulled off another rose , and ran in at his window away from dear little Gerda . When she came later on with the picture book , he said that it was only fit for babies , and when his grandmother told them stories , he was always interrupting with , ` But -- ' and then he would get behind her and put on her spectacles , and speak just as she did . This he did very well , and everybody laughed .
Very soon he could imitate the way all the people XXXXX the street walked and talked .
Gerda Kay at in of picture-books than that to with