In this disguise she went over the seven
mountains 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 colours,” and she pulled out one which was woven of
bright-coloured silk. “I may let the worthy 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 had no suspicion, but stood before
her, and let herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman
laced so quickly and 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 afterwards, 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, and that she neither stirred nor moved, 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 had reached home 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—

“Oh, 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 none 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 by
the help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisonous
comb. Then she disguised herself and took the shape of another old
woman. So she went over the seven mountains 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
poisonous comb out and held it up. It pleased the girl so well that she
let herself be beguiled, 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 suspicion, and let the old woman do as
she pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in her hair than the
poison in it took effect, and the girl fell down senseless. “You
paragon of beauty,” said the wicked woman, “you are done for now,” and
she went away. But fortunately it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow-white lying as if dead upon the ground they at once
suspected the step-mother, and they looked and found the poisoned 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—

“Oh, 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 none 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!”

Thereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where no one ever
came, and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked
pretty, white with a red cheek, so that everyone 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 mountains 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
forbidden me.” “It is all the same to me,” answered 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 resist no longer, and stretched out her hand and took the
poisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her mouth than 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 the fairest of all?”


it answered at last—

“Oh, Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all.”


Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have
rest. The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying
upon the ground; she breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted her
up, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous, unlaced
her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but it was all of
no use; the poor child was dead, and remained dead. They laid her upon
a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept
three days long. 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 transparent 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 mountain, 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, however, that a king’s son came into the forest, and went
to the dwarfs’ house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the
mountain, and the beautiful Snow-white within it, and read what was
written upon it in golden letters.