ith the pretty things; she bought several
trinkets, and a beautiful silk lace for her stays, but she did not see
the evil eye of the old woman who was watching her. Presently she said,
"Child, come here; I will show you how to lace your stays properly."
Snow-white had no suspicion, so she placed herself before the old woman
that she might lace her stays. But no sooner was the lace in the holes
than she began to lace so fast and pull so tight that Snow-white could
not breathe, and presently fell down at her feet as if dead.

"Now you are beautiful indeed," said the woman, and, fancying she heard
footsteps, she rushed away as quickly as she could.

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 poi