ven little candles to
throw a light upon Snow-white.

"O goodness! O gracious!" cried they, "what beautiful child is this?"
and were so full of joy to see her that they did not wake her, but let
her sleep on. And the seventh dwarf slept with his comrades, an hour at
a time with each, until the night had passed.

When it was morning, and Snow-white awoke and saw the seven dwarfs, she
was very frightened; but they seemed quite friendly, and asked her what
her name was, and she told them; and then they asked how she came to be
in their house. And she related to them how her step-mother had wished
her to be put to death, and how the huntsman had spared her life, and
how she had run the whole day long, until at last she had found their
little house. Then the dwarfs said,

"If you will keep our house for us, and cook, and wash, and make the
beds, and sew and knit, and keep everything tidy and clean, you may stay
with us, and you shall lack nothing."

"With all my heart," said Snow-white; and so she stayed, and kept the
house in good order. In the morning the dwarfs went to the mountain to
dig for gold; in the evening they came home, and their supper had to be
ready for them. All the day long the maiden was left alone, and the good
little dwarfs warned her, saying,

"Beware of your step-mother, she will soon know you are here. Let no one
into the house."

Now the queen, having eaten Snow-white's heart, as she supposed, felt
quite sure that now she was the first and fairest, and so she came to
her mirror, and said,

"Looking-glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?"

And the glass answered,

"Queen, thou art of beauty rare,
But Snow-white living in the glen
With the seven little men
Is a thousand times more fair."

Then she was very angry, for the glass always spoke the truth, and she
knew that the huntsman must have deceived her, and that Snow-white must
still be living. And she thought and thought how she could manage to
make an end of her, for as long as she was not the fairest in the land,
envy left her no rest. At last she thought of a plan; she painted her
face and dressed herself like an old pedlar woman, so that no one would
have known her. In this disguise she went across the seven mountains,
until she came to the house of the seven little dwarfs, and she knocked
at the door and cried,

"Fine wares to sell! fine wares to sell!"

Snow-white peeped out of the window and cri