But the poor little motherless child, when she found herself alone in the wood, and saw nothing but trees and leaves, was dreadfully frightened, and knew not what to do.  At last she began to run over the sharp stones and through the thorns, and though the wild beasts sprang out before her, they did her no harm.  She ran on as long as she could till her little feet became quite sore; and towards evening she saw, to her great joy, a pretty little house.  So she went up to it, and found the door open and no one at home.

It was a tiny little house, but everything in it was so clean and neat and elegant that it is beyond description.  In the middle of the room stood a small table, covered with a snow-white table-cloth, ready for supper.  On it were arranged seven little plates, seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, and seven mugs.  By the wall stood seven little beds, near each other, covered with white quilts.

Poor Snow-white, who was hungry and thirsty, ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each plate, and drank a little drop of wine from each cup, for she did not like to take all she wanted from one alone.  After this, feeling very tired, she thought she would lie down and rest on one of the beds, but she found it difficult to choose one to suit her.  One was too long, another too short; so she tried them all till she came to the seventh, and that was so comfortable that she laid herself down, and was soon fast asleep.

When it was quite dark the masters of the house came home.  They were seven little dwarfs, who dug and searched in the mountains for minerals.  First they lighted seven little lamps, and as soon as the room was full of light they saw that some one had been there, for everything did not stand in the order in which they had left it.

Then said the first, “Who has been sitting in my little chair?”

The second exclaimed, “Who has been eating from my little plate?”

The third cried, “Some one has taken part of my bread.”

“Who has been eating my vegetables?” said the fourth.

Then said the fifth, “Some one has used my fork.”

The sixth cried, “And who has been cutting with my knife?”

“And some one has been drinking out of my cup,” said the seventh.

Then the eldest looked at his bed, and, seeing that it looked tumbled, cried out that some one had been upon it.  The others came running forward, and found all their beds in the same condition.  But when the seventh approached his bed, and saw Snow-white lying there fast asleep, he called the others, who came quickly, and holding their lights over their heads, cried out in wonder as they beheld the sleeping child.  “Oh, what a beautiful little child!” they said to each other, and were so delighted that they would not awaken her, but left her to sleep as long as she liked in the little bed, while its owner slept with one of his companions, and so the night passed away.