My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales | Page 6

recovered, and told them all that had passed; and they warned her once
more not to open the door to anyone.
[Illustration]

Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and trembled with rage
when she received exactly the same answer as before; and she said
"Snow-White shall die, if it costs me my life." So she went secretly into
a chamber, and prepared a poisoned apple; the outside looked very rosy
and tempting, but whosoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed
herself up as a peasant's wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs'
cottage, and knocked at the door; but Snow-White put her head out of
the window, and said, "I dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfs have told
me not to." "Do as you please," said the old woman, "but at any rate
take this pretty apple; I will make you a present of it." "No," said
Snow-White, "I dare not take it." "You silly girl!" answered the other,
"what are you afraid of? Do you think it is poisoned? Come! do you eat
one part, and I will eat the other." Now the apple was so prepared that
one side was good, though the other side was poisoned. Then
Snow-White was very much tempted to taste, for the apple looked
exceedingly nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could
refrain no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth,
when she fell down dead upon the ground. "This time nothing will save
thee," said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it said,
"Thou, Queen, art the fairest of all the fair."
And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart
could be.
When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home, they found
Snow-White lying on the ground; no breath passed her lips, and they
were afraid that she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed her
hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for
the little girl seemed quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and
all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they
proposed to bury her; but her cheeks were still rosy, and her face
looked just as it did while she was alive; so they said, "We will never
bury her in the cold ground." And they made a coffin of glass so that
they might still look at her, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters,
and that she was a king's daughter. And the coffin was placed upon the
hill, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And the birds
of the air came too, and bemoaned Snow-White. First of all came an
owl, and then a raven, but at last came a dove.
And thus Snow-White lay for a long, long time, and still only looked as

though she were asleep; for she was even now as white as snow, and as
red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and called at
the dwarfs' house; and he saw Snow-White, and read what was written
in gold letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and earnestly prayed
them to let him take her away; but they said, "We will not part with her
for all the gold in the world." At last, however, they had pity on him,
and gave him the coffin; but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home
with him, the piece of apple fell from between her lips, and
Snow-White awoke, and said, "Where am I?" And the prince answered,
"Thou art safe with me." Then he told her all that had happened, and
said, "I love you better than all the world; come with me to my father's
palace, and you shall be my wife." And Snow-White consented, and
went home with the prince; and everything was prepared with great
pomp and splendour for their wedding.
To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-White's old enemy, the
queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine, rich clothes, she looked,
in the glass, and the glass answered,
"Thou, lady, art the loveliest _here_, I ween; But lovelier far is the
new-made queen."
When she heard this, she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity
were so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride. And
when she arrived, and saw that it was none other than Snow-White,
who she thought had been dead a long while, she choked with passion,
and fell ill and died; but Snow-White and the prince lived and reigned
happily over that land many,