Then the first looked round and saw that there was a little hole in
his bed, and he said:
"Who has been getting into my bed?" The others came up and each called
out:
"Somebody has been lying in my bed too." But the seventh, when he
looked at his bed, saw little Snow-white, who was lying asleep there.
And he called the others, who came running up, and they cried out with
wonder, and brought their seven little candles and let the light fall
on little Snow-white.
"Oh, heavens! oh, heavens!" cried they, "what a lovely child!" and
they were so glad that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on in
the bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with the others, one hour with
each, and so got through the night.
When it was morning little Snow-white awoke, and was afraid when she
saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and asked her what her
name was.
"My name is Snow-white," she answered.
"How have you come to our house?" said the dwarfs. Then she told them
that the Queen had wished to have her killed, but that the huntsman
had spared her life; she had run for the whole day, until at last she
had found their house. The dwarfs said:
"If you will take care of our house, cook, make the beds, wash, sew,
and knit; and if you will keep everything neat and clean, you can stay
with us, and you shall want for nothing."
"Yes," said Snow-white, "with all my heart," and she stayed with them.
She kept the house in order for them; in the mornings they went to the
hills and looked for gold; in the evenings they came back, and then
their supper had to be ready. The girl was alone the whole day, so the
good dwarfs warned her and said:
"Beware of the Queen; she will soon know that you are here; be sure to
let no one come in."
But the Queen, thinking she had eaten Snow-white's heart, began to
suppose she was again the first and most beautiful person in the
world; and she went to her Looking-glass and said:
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
And the Glass answered:
"O Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And no one else is so fair as she."
And so she thought and thought again how she might kill Snow-white,
for so long as she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her
have no rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she
painted her face and dressed herself like an old peddler-woman, and
no one could have known her. Then she went over the seven hills to the
seven dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried:
"Pretty things to sell, very cheap, very cheap." Little Snow-white
looked out of the window and called out:
"Good-day, my good woman, what have you to sell?"
"Good things, pretty things," she answered; "stay-laces of all
colors," and she pulled out one which was woven of bright silk.
"I may let the good old woman in," thought Snow-white, and she
unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.
"Child," said the old woman, "what a fright you look! Come, I will
lace you properly for once."
Snow-white stood before her, and let herself be laced with the new
laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and laced so tightly that
Snow-white lost her breath and fell down as if dead. "Now I am the
most beautiful," said the Queen to herself, and ran away.
Not long after, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came home, but how
shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow-white lying
on the ground! She did not stir or move, and seemed to be dead.
They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she was laced too tightly,
they cut the laces; then she began to breathe a little, and after a
while came to life again. When the dwarfs heard what had happened
they said:
"The old peddler-woman was no one else than the wicked Queen; take
care and let no one come in when we are not with you."
But the wicked woman, when she was at home again, went in front of the
Glass and asked:
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
And it answered as before:
"O Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And no one else is so fair as she."
When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for
she saw plainly that little Snow-white was again alive.
"But now," she said, "I will think of something that shall put an end
to you," and so she made a comb that was full of poison. Then she took
the shape of another old woman. So she went over the seven hills to
the seven dwarfs, knocked at the door, and cried, "Good things to
sell, cheap, cheap!" Little Snow-white looked out and said:
"Go away; I cannot let any one come in."
"I suppose you can look," said the old woman, and pulled the comb out
and held it up. It pleased the girl so well that she let herself be
coaxed and opened the door. When they had made a bargain the old woman
said, "Now I will comb you properly for once." Poor little Snow-white
had no fear, and let the old woman do as she pleased, but hardly had
she put the comb in her hair than the poison worked, and the girl fell
down senseless.
"You piece of beauty," said the wicked woman, "you are done for now,"
and she went away.
But as good luck would have it, it was almost evening, and the seven
dwarfs soon came home. When they saw Snow-white lying as if dead upon
the ground, they knew at once the Queen had been there, and they
looked and found the comb. Scarcely had they taken it out when
Snow-white came to herself, and told them what had happened. Then
they warned her once more to be upon her guard and to open the door
to no one.
The Queen, at home, went in front of the Glass, and said:
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
Then it answered as before:
"O Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And no one else is so fair as she."
When she heard the Glass speak thus she trembled and shook with rage.
"Snow-white shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my life!"
She went into a quiet, secret, lonely room, where no one ever came,
and there she made an apple full of poison. It was white with a red
cheek, so that every one who saw it longed for it; but whoever ate a
piece of it must surely die.
When the apple was ready she painted her face, and dressed herself up
as a country-woman, and so she went over the seven hills to the seven
dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Snow-white put her head out of the
window and said:
"I cannot let any one in; the seven dwarfs have told me not to."
"It is all the same to me," said the woman. "I shall soon get rid of
my apples. There, I will give you one."
"No," said Snow-white, "I dare not take anything."
"Are you afraid of poison?" said the old woman. "Look, I will cut the
apple in two pieces; you eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white."
The apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned.
Snow-white longed for the fine apple, and when she saw that the woman
ate part of it she could stand it no longer, and stretched out her
hand and took the other half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her
mouth when she fell down dead. Then the Queen looked at her with a
dreadful look, and laughed aloud and said:
"White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony-wood! This time the
dwarfs cannot wake you up again."
And when she asked of the Looking-glass at home:
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?"
it answered at last:
"O Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all."
Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have
rest.
When the dwarfs came home in the evening, they found Snow-white lying
upon the ground; she breathed no longer, and was dead. They lifted her
up, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but
it was all of no use; the poor child was dead, and stayed dead. They
laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for
her, and wept three whole days.
Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she were
living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said:
"We could not bury her in the dark ground," and they had a coffin of
glass made, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid
her in it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she
was a King's daughter. Then they put the coffin out upon the hill, and
one of them always stayed by it and watched it. And birds came too,
and wept for Snow-white; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.
And now Snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin, and she did
not change, but looked as if she were asleep; for she was as white as
snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.
It happened that a King's son came into the wood, and went to the
dwarfs' house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the hill, and
the beautiful Snow-white within it, and read what was written upon it
in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs:
"Let me have the coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it."
But the dwarfs answered:
"We will not part with it for all the gold in the world." Then he
said:
"Let me have it as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing
Snow-white. I will honor and prize her as the dearest thing I have."
As he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity upon him, and gave
him the coffin.
And now the King's son had it carried away by his servants on their
shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over a tree-stump, and
with the shock the piece of apple which Snow-white had bitten off came
out of her throat. And before long she opened her eyes, lifted up the
lid of the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive.
"Oh, heavens, where am I?" she cried. The King's son, full of joy,
said:
"You are with me," and told her what had happened, and said, "I love
you more than everything in the world; come with me to my father's
palace; you shall be my wife."
Snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their wedding was held
with great show and splendor. The wicked Queen was also bidden to the
feast. When she had put on her beautiful clothes, she went before the
Looking-glass, and said:
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
The Glass answered:
"O Queen, of all here the fairest art thou,
But the young Queen is fairer by far I trow."
Then the wicked woman gave a scream, and was so wretched, so utterly
wretched, that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to
the wedding at all, but she had no peace, and must go to see the young
Queen. And when she went in she knew Snow-white; and she stood still
with rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron slippers had already
been put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set
before her. Then she was forced to put on the red hot shoes, and dance
until she dropped down dead.
* * * * *