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Not long after, the seven dwarfs came home, and they were terribly
frightened to see dear little Snow-white lying on the ground without
motion, as if she were dead. They lifted her up, and saw in a moment
that her stays had been laced too tight Quickly they cut the stay-lace
in two, till Snow-white began to breathe a little, and after a time was
restored to life. But when the dwarfs heard what had happened, they
said: "That old market-woman was no other than your wicked stepmother.
Snow-white, you must never again let anyone in while we are not with
you."
The wicked queen when she returned home, after, as she thought, killing
Snow-white, went to her looking-glass and asked:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Am I most beautiful of all?"
Then answered the mirror:
"Queen, thou art not the fairest now; Snow-white over the mountain's brow
A thousand times fairer is than thou."
When she heard this she was so terrified that the blood rushed to her
heart, for she knew that after all she had done Snow-white was still
alive. "I must think of something else," she said to herself, "to get
rid of that odious child."
Now this wicked queen had some knowledge of witchcraft, and she knew how
to poison a comb, so that whoever used it would fall dead. This the
wicked stepmother soon got ready, and dressing herself again like an old
woman, but quite different from the last, she started off to travel over
the mountains to the dwarfs' cottage.
When Snow-white heard the old cry, "Goods to sell, fine goods to sell,"
she looked out of the window and said:
"Go away, go away; I must not let you in."
"Look at this, then," said the woman; "you shall have it for your own if
you like," and she held up before the child's eyes the bright
tortoise-shell comb which she had poisoned.
Poor Snow-white could not refuse such a present, so she opened the door
and let the woman in, quite forgetting the advice of the dwarfs. After
she had bought a few things, the old woman said, "Let me try this comb
in your hair; it is so fine it will make it beautifully smooth and
glossy."
So Snow-white, thinking no wrong, stood before the woman to have her
hair dressed; but no sooner had the comb touched the roots of her hair
than the poison took effect, and the maiden fell to the ground lifeless.
"You paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "all has just happened
as I expected," and then she went away quickly.
Fortunately evening soon arrived, and the seven dwarfs returned home.
When they saw Snow-white lying dead on the ground, they knew at once
that the stepmother had been there again; but on seeing the poisoned
comb in her hair they pulled it out quickly, and Snow-white very soon
came to herself, and related all that had passed.
Again they warned her not to let anyone enter the house during their
absence, and on no account to open the door; but Snow-white was not
clever enough to resist her clever wicked stepmother, and she forgot to
obey.
The wicked queen felt sure now that she had really killed Snow-white; so
as soon as she returned home she went to her looking-glass, and
inquired:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is most beautiful of all?"
But the mirror replied:
"Queen, thou art the fairest here, But not when Snow-white is near;
Over the mountains still is she, Fairer a thousand times than thee."
As the looking-glass thus replied, the queen trembled and quaked with
rage. "Snow-white shall die," cried she, "if it costs me my own life!"