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.

[Illustration]

Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and trembled with rage when she received exactly the same answer as before; and she said “Snow-White shall die, if it costs me my life.”  So she went secretly into a chamber, and prepared a poisoned apple; the outside looked very rosy and tempting, but whosoever tasted it was sure to die.  Then she dressed herself up as a peasant’s wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs’ cottage, and knocked at the door; but Snow-White put her head out of the window, and said, “I dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfs have told me not to.”  “Do as you please,” said the old woman, “but at any rate take this pretty apple; I will make you a present of it.”  “No,” said Snow-White, “I dare not take it.”  “You silly girl!” answered the other, “what are you afraid of?  Do you think it is poisoned?  Come! do you eat one part, and I will eat the other.”  Now the apple was so prepared that one side was good, though the other side was poisoned.  Then Snow-White was very much tempted to taste, for the apple looked exceedingly nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could refrain no longer.  But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth, when she fell down dead upon the ground.  “This time nothing will save thee,” said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it said,

      “Thou, Queen, art the fairest of all the fair.”

And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart could be.

When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home, they found Snow-White lying on the ground; no breath passed her lips, and they were afraid that she was quite dead.  They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for the little girl seemed quite dead.  So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they proposed to bury her; but her cheeks were still rosy, and her