and the mirror replied:
‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true, But Snowdrop is fairer far than you. Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men, Is as fair as you, as fair again.’
When the Queen heard these words she was nearly struck dumb with horror, for the mirror always spoke the truth, and she knew now that the Huntsman must have deceived her, and that Snowdrop was still alive. She pondered day and night how she might destroy her, for as long as she felt she had a rival in the land her jealous heart left her no rest. At last she hit upon a plan. She stained her face and dressed herself up as an old peddler wife, so that she was quite unrecognisable. In this guise she went over the seven hills till she came to the house of the seven Dwarfs. There she knocked at the door, calling out at the same time:
‘Fine wares to sell, fine wares to sell!’
Snowdrop peeped out of the window, and called out:
‘Good-day, mother, what have you to sell?’
‘Good wares, fine wares,’ she answered; ‘laces of every shade and description,’ and she held one up that was made of some gay coloured silk.
‘Surely I can let the honest woman in,’ thought Snowdrop; so she unbarred the door and bought the pretty lace.
‘Good gracious! child,’ said the old woman, ‘what a figure you’ve got. Come! I’ll lace you up properly for once.’
Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, stood before her and let her lace her bodice up, but the old woman laced her so quickly and so tightly that it took Snowdrop’s breath away, and she fell down dead.
‘Now you are no longer the fairest,’ said the wicked old woman, and then she hastened away.
In the evening the seven Dwarfs came home, and you may think what a fright they got when they saw their dear Snowdrop lying on the floor, as still and motionless as a dead person. They lifted her up tenderly, and when they saw how tightly laced she was they cut the lace in two, and she began to breathe a little and gradually came back to life. When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said:
‘Depend upon it, the old peddler wife was none other than the old Queen. In future you must be sure to let no one in, if we are not at home.’
As soon as the wicked old Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, and said:
‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’
and the mirror answered as before:
‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.’
When she heard this she became as pale as death, because she saw at once that Snowdrop must be alive again.
‘This time,’ she said to herself, ‘I will think of something that will make an end of her once and for all.’
And by the witchcraft which she understood so well she made a poisonous comb; then she dressed herself up and assumed the form of another old woman. So she went over the seven hills till she reached the house of the seven Dwarfs, and knocking at the door she called out:
‘Fine wares for sale.’
Snowdrop looked out of the window and said:
‘You must go away, for I may not let anyone in.’
‘But surely you are not forbidden to look out?’ said the old woman, and she held up the poisonous comb for her to see.
It pleased the girl so much that she let herself be taken in, and opened the door. When they had settled their bargain the old woman said:
‘Now I’ll comb your hair properly for you, for once in the way.’
Poor Snowdrop thought no evil, but hardly had the comb touched her hair than the poison worked and she fell down unconscious.
‘Now, my fine lady, you’re really done for this time,’ said the wicked woman, and she made her way home as fast as she could.
Fortunately it was now near evening, and the seven Dwarfs returned home. When they saw Snowdrop lying dead on the ground, they at once suspected that her wicked step-mother had been at work again; so they searched till they found the poisonous comb, and the moment they pulled it out of her head Snowdrop came to herself again, and told them what had happened. Then they warned her once more to be on her guard, and to open the door to no one.
As soon as the Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, and asked:
‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’
and it replied as before:
‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.’
When she heard these words she literally trembled and shook with rage.
‘Snowdrop shall die,’ she cried; ‘yes, though it cost me my own life.’
Then she went to a little secret chamber, which no one knew of but herself, and there she made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it looked beautiful, white with red cheeks, so that everyone who saw it longed to eat it, but anyone who might do so would certainly die on the spot. When the apple was quite finished she stained her face and dressed herself up as a peasant, and so she went over the seven hills to the seven Dwarfs’. She knocked at the door, as usual, but Snowdrop put her head out of the window and called out:
‘I may not let anyone in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me to do so.’
‘Are you afraid of being poisoned?’ asked the old woman. ‘See, I will cut this apple in half. I’ll eat the white cheek and you can eat the red.’
But the apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisonous. Snowdrop longed to eat the tempting fruit, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it herself, she couldn’t resist the temptation any longer, and stretching out her hand she took the poisonous half. But hardly had the first bite passed her lips than she fell down dead on the ground. Then the eyes of the cruel Queen sparkled with glee, and laughing aloud she cried:
‘As white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony, this time the Dwarfs won’t be able to bring you back to life.’
When she got home she asked the mirror:
‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’
and this time it replied:
‘You
