a long, long time, and still only looked
as though she were asleep; for she was even now as white as snow,
and as red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and
called at the dwarfs' house; and he saw Snow-White, and read what
was written in gold letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and
earnestly prayed them to let him take her away; but they said, "We
will not part with her for all the gold in the world." At last,
however, they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin; but the moment
he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of apple fell
from between her lips, and Snow-White awoke, and said, "Where am I?"
And the prince answered, "Thou art safe with me." Then he told her all
that had happened, and said, "I love you better than all the world;
come with me to my father's palace, and you shall be my wife." And
Snow-White consented, and went home with the prince; and everything
was prepared with great pomp and splendour for their wedding.

To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-White's old enemy,
the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine, rich clothes, she
looked, in the glass, and the glass answered,

"Thou, lady, art the loveliest _here_, I ween;
But lovelier far is the new-made queen."

When she heard this, she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity
were so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride.
And when she arrived, and saw that it was none other than Snow-White,
who she thought had been dead a long while, she choked with passion,
and fell ill and died; but Snow-White and the prince lived and reigned
happily over that land many, many years.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CINDERELLA

The wife of a rich man fell sick: and when she felt that her end drew
nigh, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and said, "Always
be a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you."
Soon afterwards she shut her eyes and died, and was buried in the
garden; and the little girl went every day to her grave and wept,
and was always good and kind to all about her. And the snow spread a
beautiful white covering over the grave: but by the time the sun had
melted it away again, her father had married another wife. This new
wife had two daughters of her own, that she brought home with her:
they were fair in face but foul at heart, and it was now a sorry time
for the poor little girl. "What does the good-for-noth