she knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" Snow-White
looked out of the window, and cried, "Good-day, good woman; what have
you to sell?" "Good wares, fine wares," said she; "laces and bobbins
of all colours." "I will let the old lady in; she seems to be a
very good sort of a body," thought Snow-White; so she ran down, and
unbolted the door. "Bless me!" said the woman, "how badly your
stays are laced. Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces."
Snow-White did not dream of any mischief; so she stood up before
the old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and pulled the lace so
tight, that Snow-White lost her breath, and fell down as if she were
dead. "There's an end of all thy beauty," said the spiteful queen, and
went away home.

[Illustration: "'THERE'S AN END TO ALL THY BEAUTY' SAID THE SPITEFUL
QUEEN, AND SHE WENT AWAY HOME."]

In the evening the seven dwarfs returned; and I need not say how
grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-White stretched upon the
ground motionless, as if she were quite dead. However, they lifted her
up, and when they found what was the matter, they cut the lace; and in
a little time she began to breathe, and soon came to life again. Then
they said, "The old woman was the queen herself; take care another
time, and let no one in when we are away."

When the queen got home, she went to her glass, and spoke to it, but
to her surprise it said the same words as before.

Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice to see
that Snow-White still lived; and she dressed herself up again in a
disguise, but very different from the one she wore before, and took
with her a poisoned comb, When she reached the dwarf's cottage, she
knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" but Snow-White
said, "I dare not let anyone in." Then the queen begged, "Only look at
my beautiful combs;" and gave her the poisoned one. And it looked so
pretty that she took it up and put it into her hair to try it; but the
moment it touched her head the poison was so powerful that she fell
down senseless.

"There you may lie," said the queen, and went her way. But by good
luck the dwarfs returned very early that evening; and when they saw
Snow-White lying on the ground, they thought what had happened,
and soon found the poisoned comb. And when they took it away, she
recovered, and told them all that had passed; and they warned her once
more not to open the door to anyone.

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