she
unbarred the door and bought the pretty lace.

'Good gracious! child,' said the old woman, 'what a figure you've got.
Come! I'll lace you up properly for once.'

Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, stood before her and let her lace her
bodice up, but the old woman laced her so quickly and so tightly that it
took Snowdrop's breath away, and she fell down dead.

'Now you are no longer the fairest,' said the wicked old woman, and then
she hastened away.

In the evening the seven Dwarfs came home, and you may think what a
fright they got when they saw their dear Snowdrop lying on the floor, as
still and motionless as a dead person. They lifted her up tenderly, and
when they saw how tightly laced she was they cut the lace in two, and
she began to breathe a little and gradually came back to life. When the
Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said:

'Depend upon it, the old peddler wife was none other than the old Queen.
In future you must be sure to let no one in, if we are not at home.'

As soon as the wicked old Queen got home she went straight to her
mirror, and said:

'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'

and the mirror answered as before:

'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.'

When she heard this she became as pale as death, because she saw at once
that Snowdrop must be alive again.

'This time,' she said to herself, 'I will think of something that will
make an end of her once and for all.'

And by the witchcraft which she understood so well she made a poisonous
comb; then she dressed herself up and assumed the form of another old
woman. So she went over the seven hills till she reached the house of
the seven Dwarfs, and knocking at the door she called out:

'Fine wares for sale.'

Snowdrop looked out of the window and said:

'You must go away, for I may not let anyone in.'

'But surely you are not forbidden to look out?' said the old woman, and
she held up the poisonous comb for her to see.

It pleased the girl so much that she let herself be taken in, and opened
the door. When they had settled their bargain the old woman said:

'Now I'll comb your hair properly for you, for once in the way.'

Poor Snowdrop thought no evil, but hardly had the comb touched her hair
than the poison worked and she fell down uncon