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SNOW-WHITE. 219 |
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And the looking-glass answered as before,
" Queen, thou art of beauty rare, But Snow-white living in the glen With the seven little men Is a thousand times more fair."
When she heard the looking-glass speak thus she trembled and shook with anger.
" Snow-white shall die," cried she, " though it should cost me my own life !" And then she went to a secret lonely chamber, where no one was likely to come, and there she made a poisonous apple. It was beautiful to look upon, being white with red cheeks, so that any one who should see it must long for it, but whoever ate even a little bit of it must die. When the apple was ready she painted her face and clothed herself like a peasant woman, and went across the seven mountains to where the seven dwarfs lived. And when she knocked at the door Snow-white put her head out of the window and said,
" I dare not let anybody in ; the seven dwarfs told me not."
" All right," answered the woman; " I can easily get rid of my apples elsewhere. There, I will give you one."
" No," answered Snow-white, " I dare not take anything."
"Are you afraid of poison?" said the woman, "look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have the white one."
For the apple was so cunningly made, that all the poison was in the rosy half of it. Snow-white longed for the beautiful apple, and as she saw the peasant woman eating a piece of it she could no longer refrain, but stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. But no sooner had she taken a morsel of it into her mouth than she fell to the earth as dead. And the queen, casting on her a terrible glance, laughed aloud and cried,
" As white as snow, as red as blood, as black as ebony ! this time the dwarfs will not be able to bring you to life again."
And when she went home and asked the looking-glass,
" Looking-glass against the wall, Who is fairest of us all ?" |
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at last it answered, |
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