te snow, and said, "Would that my little daughter
may be as white as that snow, as red as the blood, and as black as the
ebony window-frame!" And so the little girl grew up: her skin was as
white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as blood, and her hair as black as
ebony; and she was called Snow-White.

But this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who was
very beautiful, but so proud that she could not bear to think that any
one could surpass her. She had a magical looking-glass, to which she
used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say,

"Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land.
Who is fairest? Tell me who?"

And the glass answered, "Thou, Queen, art fairest in the land."

But Snow-White grew more and more beautiful; and when she was seven
years old, she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen
herself. Then the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to
consult it as usual:

"Thou, Queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,
But Snow-White is lovelier far than thee!"

When she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy; and calling
to one of her servants said, "Take Snow-White away into the wide wood,
that I may never see her more." Then the servant led her away; but his
heart melted when she begged him to spare her life, and he said, "I
will not hurt thee, thou pretty child." So he left her by herself, and
though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her
to pieces, he felt as if a great weight were taken off his heart when
he had made up his mind not to kill her, but leave her to her fate.

[Illustration]

Then poor Snow-White wandered along through the wood in great fear;
and the wild beasts roared about her, but none did her any harm. In
the evening she came to a little cottage, and went in there to rest
herself, for her weary feet would carry her no further. Everything was
spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white cloth,
and there were seven little plates with seven little loaves and seven
little glasses with wine in them; and knives and forks laid in order,
and by the wall stood seven little beds. Then, as she was very hungry,
she picked a little piece off each loaf, and drank a very little wine
out of each glass; and after that she thought she would lie down and
rest. So she tried all the little beds; and one was too long, and
another was too short, till at last the seventh suited her;