"You may surely be allowed to look!" answered the old woman, and she
drew out the poisoned comb and held it up. The girl was so pleased
with it that she let herself be cajoled, and opened the door.
When the bargain was struck the dame said, "Now let me dress your hair
properly for once." Poor Snowdrop took no heed, and let the old woman
begin; but the comb had scarcely touched her hair before the poison
worked, and she fell down senseless.
"Paragon of beauty!" said the wicked woman, "all is over with thee
now," and went away.
Luckily it was near evening, and the seven dwarfs soon came home. When
they found Snowdrop lifeless on the ground they at once distrusted her
stepmother. They searched, and found the poisoned comb; and as soon as
they had drawn it out, Snowdrop came to herself, and told them what
had happened. Again they warned her to be careful, and open the door
to no one.
The queen placed herself before the mirror at home and said:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
But it again answered:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here, you are fairest of them all;
But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old,
Lives Snowdrop, fairer a thousandfold."
When she heard the mirror speak thus she quivered with rage. "Snowdrop
shall die," she cried, "if it costs my own life!"
Then she went to a secret and lonely chamber, where no one ever
disturbed her, and compounded an apple of deadly poison. Ripe and rosy
cheeked, it was so beautiful to look upon that all who saw it longed
for it; but it brought death to any who should eat it. When the apple
was ready she painted her face, disguised herself as a peasant-woman,
and journeyed over the seven hills to where the seven dwarfs dwelt. At
the sound of the knock Snowdrop put her head out of the window, and
said, "I cannot open the door to anybody, for the seven dwarfs have
forbidden me to do so."
"Very well," replied the peasant-woman; "I only want to be rid of my
apples. Here, I will give you one of them!"
"No," said Snowdrop, "I dare not take it."
"Art thou afraid of being poisoned?" asked the old woman. "Look here;
I will cut the apple in two, and you shall eat the rosy side, and I
the white."
Now the fruit was so cunningly made that only the rosy side was
poisoned. Snowdrop longed for the pretty apple; and when she saw the
peasant-woman eating it she could resist no longer, but stretched out
her hand and took the poisoned half. She had scarcely tasted it when
she fell lifeless to the ground.
The queen, laughing loudly, watched her with a barbarous look, and
cried: "Oh, thou who art white as snow, red as blood, and black as
ebony, the seven dwarfs cannot awaken thee this time!"
And when she asked the mirror at home,
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
the mirror at last replied,
"Lady queen, so grand and tall.
You are the fairest of them all."
So her envious heart had as much repose as an envious heart can ever
know.
When the dwarfs came home in the evening they found Snowdrop lying
breathless and motionless on the ground. They lifted her up, searched
whether she had anything poisonous about her, unlaced her, combed her
hair, washed her with water and with wine; but all was useless, for
they could not bring the darling back to life. They laid her on a
bier, and all the seven placed themselves round it, and mourned for
her three long days. Then they would have buried her, but that she
still looked so fresh and lifelike, and had such lovely rosy cheeks.
"We cannot lower her into the dark earth," said they; and caused a
transparent coffin of glass to be made, so that she could be seen on
all sides, and laid her in it, writing her name outside in letters of
gold, which told that she was the daughter of a king. Then they placed
the coffin on the mountain above, and one of them always stayed by it
and guarded it. But there was little need to guard it, for even the
wild animals came and mourned for Snowdrop: the birds likewise--first
an owl, and then a raven, and afterwards a dove.
Long, long years did Snowdrop lay in her coffin unchanged, looking as
though asleep, for she was still white as snow, red as blood, and her
hair was as black as ebony. At last the son of a king chanced to
wander into the forest, and came to the dwarf's house for a night's
shelter. He saw the coffin on the mountain with the beautiful Snowdrop
in it, and read what was written there in letters of gold. Then he
said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin! I will give you whatever
you like to ask for it."
But the dwarfs answered, "We would not part with it for all the gold
in the world."
He said again, "Yet give it me; for I cannot live without seeing
Snowdrop, and though she is dead, I will prize and honor her as my
beloved."
Then the good dwarfs took pity on him, and gave him the coffin. The
prince had it borne away by his servants. They happened to stumble
over a bush, and the shock forced the bit of poisoned apple which
Snowdrop had tasted out of her throat. Immediately she opened her
eyes, raised the coffin-lid, and sat up alive once more. "Oh, heaven!"
cried she, "where am I?"
The prince answered, joyfully. "Thou art with me," and told her what
had happened, saying, "I love thee more dearly than anything else in
the world. Come with me to my father's castle, and be my wife."
Snowdrop, well pleased, went with him, and they were married with much
state and grandeur.
The wicked stepmother was invited to the feast. Richly dressed, she
stood before the mirror, and asked of it:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
The mirror answered:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here, you are fairest among them all;
But the young queen over the mountains old
Is fairer than you a thousandfold."
The evil-hearted woman uttered a curse, and could scarcely endure her
anguish. She first resolved not to attend the wedding, but curiosity
would not allow her to rest. She determined to travel, and see who
that young queen could be, who was the most beautiful in all the
world. When she came, and found that it was Snowdrop alive again, she
stood petrified with terror and despair. Then two iron shoes, heated
burning hot, were drawn out of the fire with a pair of tongs, and laid
before her feet. She was forced to put them on, and to go and dance at
Snowdrop's wedding--dancing, dancing on these red hot shoes till she
fell down dead.