“Yes,” said little Snow-White, “with all my heart,” and she stayed with them.
She kept the house in order for them. In the mornings they went to the mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings they came back, and then their supper had to be ready.
The maiden was alone the whole day, so the good Dwarfs warned her and said, “Beware of the Queen, she will soon know that you are here. Be sure to let no one come in.”
But the Queen, believing that little Snow-White was dead, could not but think that she herself was again the first and most beautiful of all. She went to her Looking-Glass, and said:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
“_Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see, But over the hills, where the Seven Dwarfs dwell, Little Snow-White is alive and well, And none is so fair as she._”
Then she was astounded, for she knew that the Looking-Glass never spoke falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, for that little Snow-White was still alive.
And so she thought and thought again how she might kill her, for so long as she herself was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her have no rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she painted her face, and dressed herself like an old pedler-woman, and no one could have known her.
In this disguise she went over the Seven Mountains to the Seven Dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried, “Pretty things to sell, very cheap, very cheap!”
Little Snow-White looked out at the window, and called, “Good-day, my dear woman, what have you to sell?”
“Good things, pretty things,” she answered; “stay-laces of all colors,” and she pulled out one which was woven of bright-colored silk.
“I may let the worthy old woman in,” thought little Snow-White, and she unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.
“Child,” said the old woman, “what a fright you look. Come, I will lace you properly for once.”
Little Snow-White had no suspicion, but stood before her, and let herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and laced so tightly that little Snow-White lost her breath and fell down as if dead.
“Now I am the most beautiful,” said the Queen to herself, and ran away.