ht 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 stood before her, and let herself be laced with the new
laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and laced 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 after, 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! She did not stir or move, 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 was at home again, 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:

"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."

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 so she made a comb that was full of poison. Then she took
the shape of another old woman. So she went over the seven hills 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 comb out
and held it up. It pleased the girl so well that she let herself be
coaxed 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 fear, and let the old woman do as she pleased, but hardly had
she put the comb in her hair than the poison worked, and the girl fell
down senseless.

"You piece of beauty," said the wicked woman, "you are done for now,"
and she went away.

But as good luck would have it, it was almost evening, and the seve