My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales | Page 5

has been cutting with my knife?" The seventh, "Who has been
drinking my wine?" Then the first looked round and said. "Who has
been lying on my bed?" And the rest came running to him, and every
one cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. But the seventh
saw Snow-White, and called upon his brethren to come and see her;
and they cried out with wonder and astonishment, and brought their
lamps to look at her, and said, "Good heavens! What a lovely child she
is!" and they were delighted to see her, and took care not to waken her;
and the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in
turn, till the night was gone.
[Illustration: THE MAGIC MIRROR--"LITTLE SNOW-WHITE"]
In the morning Snow-White told them all her story; and they pitied her,
and said if she would keep all things in order, and cook and wash, and
knit and spin for them, she might stay where she was, and they would
take good care of her. Then they went out all day long to their work,
seeking for gold and silver in the mountains; and Snow-White
remained at home: and they warned her, and said, "The queen will soon
find out where you are, so take care and let no one in." But the queen,
now that she thought Snow-White was dead, believed that she was
certainly the handsomest lady in the land; and she went to her glass,
and the glass answered,
"Thou, Queen, thou art fairest in all this land; But over the hills, in the
greenwood shade. Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made.
There Snow-White is hiding her head; and she Is lovelier far, O Queen,
than thee."
Then the queen was very much alarmed; for she knew that the glass
always spoke the truth, and was sure that the servant had betrayed her.
And she could not bear to think that anyone lived who was more
beautiful than she was; so she disguised herself as a pedlar and went
her way over the hills to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then she
knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" Snow-White
looked out of the window, and cried, "Good-day, good woman; what

have you to sell?" "Good wares, fine wares," said she; "laces and
bobbins of all colours." "I will let the old lady in; she seems to be a
very good sort of a body," thought Snow-White; so she ran down, and
unbolted the door. "Bless me!" said the woman, "how badly your stays
are laced. Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces."
Snow-White did not dream of any mischief; so she stood up before the
old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and pulled the lace so tight,
that Snow-White lost her breath, and fell down as if she were dead.
"There's an end of all thy beauty," said the spiteful queen, and went
away home.
[Illustration: "'THERE'S AN END TO ALL THY BEAUTY' SAID
THE SPITEFUL QUEEN, AND SHE WENT AWAY HOME."]
In the evening the seven dwarfs returned; and I need not say how
grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-White stretched upon the
ground motionless, as if she were quite dead. However, they lifted her
up, and when they found what was the matter, they cut the lace; and in
a little time she began to breathe, and soon came to life again. Then
they said, "The old woman was the queen herself; take care another
time, and let no one in when we are away."
When the queen got home, she went to her glass, and spoke to it, but to
her surprise it said the same words as before.
Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice to see that
Snow-White still lived; and she dressed herself up again in a disguise,
but very different from the one she wore before, and took with her a
poisoned comb, When she reached the dwarf's cottage, she knocked at
the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" but Snow-White said, "I dare
not let anyone in." Then the queen begged, "Only look at my beautiful
combs;" and gave her the poisoned one. And it looked so pretty that she
took it up and put it into her hair to try it; but the moment it touched her
head the poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless.
"There you may lie," said the queen, and went her way. But by good
luck the dwarfs returned very early that evening; and when they saw
Snow-White lying on the ground, they thought what had happened, and
soon found the poisoned comb. And when they took it away, she