ritten 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 honour 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.

THE BLUE BIRD.

A powerful and wealthy king, having lost his wife, was so
inconsolable, that he shut himself up for eight entire days, in a
little cabinet, where he spent his time in knocking his head against
the wall, until the courtiers were afraid he would kill himself! They
accordingly placed stuffed mattresses over every wall, and allowed all
his subjects, who desired, to pay him a visit, trusting