" cried they, "what a lovely child!" and
they were so glad that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on in
the bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with the others, one hour with
each, and so got through the night.

When it was morning little Snow-white awoke, and was afraid when she
saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and asked her what her
name was.

"My name is Snow-white," she answered.

"How have you come to our house?" said the dwarfs. Then she told them
that the Queen had wished to have her killed, but that the huntsman
had spared her life; she had run for the whole day, until at last she
had found their house. The dwarfs said:

"If you will take care of our house, cook, make the beds, wash, sew,
and knit; and if you will keep everything neat and clean, you can stay
with us, and you shall want for nothing."

"Yes," said Snow-white, "with all my heart," and she stayed with them.
She kept the house in order for them; in the mornings they went to the
hills and looked for gold; in the evenings they came back, and then
their supper had to be ready. The girl was alone the whole day, so the
good dwarfs warned her and said:

"Beware of the Queen; she will soon know that you are here; be sure to
let no one come in."

But the Queen, thinking she had eaten Snow-white's heart, began to
suppose she was again the first and most beautiful person in the
world; and she went to her Looking-glass and said:

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"

And the Glass answered:

"O 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 no one else is so fair as she."

And so she thought and thought again how she might kill Snow-white,
for so long as she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her
have no rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she
painted her face and dressed herself like an old peddler-woman, and
no one could have known her. Then she went over the seven hills 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
colors," and she pulled out one which was woven of bright silk.

"I may let the good old woman in," thoug