roof that the child was dead. The cook
had to salt this, and the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had
eaten the heart of Snow-white.

But now the poor child was all alone in the great wood, and so afraid
that she started at every bush, and did not know what to do. Then she
began to run, and ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and the
wild beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.

She ran as long as her feet would go, until it was almost evening;
then she saw a little cottage, and went into it to rest herself.
Everything in the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner than
can be told. There was a table on which was a white cover, and seven
little plates, and by each plate was a little spoon; there were seven
little knives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the wall stood
seven little beds side by side, covered with snow-white coverlets.

Little Snow-white was so hungry and thirsty that she ate some fruit
and bread from each plate, and drank a drop of milk out of each mug,
for she did not wish to take all from one only. Then, as she was so
tired, she lay down on one of the little beds, but none of them suited
her; one was too long, another too short; but at last she found the
seventh one was just right, and so she stayed in it, said her prayers,
and went to sleep.

When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back; they
were seven dwarfs who dug in the hills for gold. They lit their seven
candles, and as it was now light within the cottage they could see
that some one had been there, for everything was not in the same order
in which they had left it.

The first said, "Who has been sitting on my chair?"

The second, "Who has been eating off my plate?"

The third, "Who has been taking some of my bread?"

The fourth, "Who has been eating my fruit?"

The fifth, "Who has been using my fork?"

The sixth, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh, "Who has been drinking out of my mug?"

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!