nd's most fair?'

it always replied:

'You are most fair, my Lady Queen,
None fairer in the land, I ween.'

Then she was quite happy, for she knew the mirror always spoke the
truth.

But Snowdrop was growing prettier and prettier every day, and when she
was seven years old she was as beautiful as she could be, and fairer
even than the Queen herself. One day when the latter asked her mirror
the usual question, it replied:

'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.'

Then the Queen flew into the most awful passion, and turned every shade
of green in her jealousy. From this hour she hated poor Snowdrop like
poison, and every day her envy, hatred, and malice grew, for envy and
jealousy are like evil weeds which spring up and choke the heart. At
last she could endure Snowdrop's presence no longer, and, calling a
huntsman to her, she said:

'Take the child out into the wood, and never let me see her face again.
You must kill her, and bring me back her lungs and liver, that I may
know for certain she is dead.'

The Huntsman did as he was told and led Snowdrop out into the wood, but
as he was in the act of drawing out his knife to slay her, she began to
cry, and said:

'Oh, dear Huntsman, spare my life, and I will promise to fly forth into
the wide wood and never to return home again.'

And because she was so young and pretty the Huntsman had pity on her,
and said:

'Well, run along, poor child.' For he thought to himself: 'The wild
beasts will soon eat her up.'

And his heart felt lighter because he hadn't had to do the deed himself.
And as he turned away a young boar came running past, so he shot it, and
brought its lungs and liver home to the Queen as a proof that Snowdrop
was really dead. And the wicked woman had them stewed in salt, and ate
them up, thinking she had made an end of Snowdrop for ever.

Now when the poor child found herself alone in the big wood the very
trees around her seemed to assume strange shapes, and she felt so
frightened she didn't know what to do. Then she began to run over the
sharp stones, and through the bramble bushes, and the wild beasts ran
past her, but they did her no harm. She ran as far as her legs would
carry her, and as evening approached she saw a little house, and she
stepped inside to rest. Everything was very small in the little house,
but cleaner and neater than anything you can imagine. In the middle of