The Marriage of Mrs. Reynard
Snowdrop
IT
was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes were falling from the
sky like feathers. Now, a Queen sat sewing at a window framed in
black ebony, and as she sewed she looked out upon the snow. Suddenly
she pricked her finger and three drops of blood fell on to the snow.
And the red looked so lovely on the white that she thought to
herself: ‘If only I had a child as white as snow and as red as
blood, and as black as the wood of the window frame!’ Soon after,
she had a daughter, whose hair was black as ebony, while her cheeks
were red as blood, and her skin as white as snow; so she was called
Snowdrop. But when the child was born the Queen died. A year after
the King took another wife. She was a handsome woman, but proud and
overbearing, and could not endure that any one should surpass her in
beauty. She had a magic looking-glass, and when she stood before it
and looked at herself she used to say:
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’then
the Glass answered,
‘Queen,
thou’rt fairest of them all.’Then
she was content, for she knew that the Looking-glass spoke the truth.But
Snowdrop grew up and became more and more beautiful, so that when she
was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and far
surpassed the Queen. Once, when she asked her Glass,
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’it
answered—
‘Queen,
thou art fairest here, I hold,But
Snowdrop is fairer a thousandfold.’Then
the Queen was horror-struck, and turned green and yellow with
jealousy. From the hour that she saw Snowdrop her heart sank, and she
hated the little girl.
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’The
pride and envy of her heart grew like a weed, so that she had no rest
day nor night. At last she called a Huntsman, and said: ‘Take the
child out into the wood; I will not set eyes on her again; you must
kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as tokens.’The
Huntsman obeyed, and took Snowdrop out into the forest, but when he
drew his hunting-knife and was preparing to plunge it into her
innocent heart, she began to cry:
‘Alas!
dear Huntsman, spare my life, and I will run away into the wild
forest and never come back again.’And
because of her beauty the Huntsman had pity on her and said, ‘Well,
run away, poor child.’ Wild beasts will soon devour you, he
thought, but still he felt as though a weight were lifted from his
heart because he had not been obliged to kill her. And as just at
that moment a young fawn came leaping by, he pierced it and took the
lungs and liver as tokens to the Queen. The Cook was ordered to serve
them up in pickle, and the wicked Queen ate them thinking that they
were Snowdrop’s.Now
the poor child was alone in the great wood, with no living soul near,
and she was so frightened that she knew not what to do. Then she
began to run, and ran over the sharp stones and through the brambles,
while the animals passed her by without harming her. She ran as far
as her feet could carry her till it was nearly evening, when she saw
a little house and went in to rest. Inside, everything was small, but
as neat and clean as could be. A small table covered with a white
cloth stood ready with seven small plates, and by every plate was a
spoon, knife, fork, and cup. Seven little beds were ranged against
the walls, covered with snow-white coverlets. As Snowdrop was very
hungry and thirsty she ate a little bread and vegetable from each
plate, and drank a little wine from each cup, for she did not want to
eat up the whole of one portion. Then, being very tired, she lay down
in one of the beds. She tried them all but none suited her; one was
too short, another too long, all except the seventh, which was just
right. She remained in it, said her prayers, and fell asleep.When
it was quite dark the masters of the house came in. They were seven
Dwarfs, who used to dig in the mountains for ore. They kindled their
lights, and as soon as they could see they noticed that some one had
been there, for everything was not in the order in which they had
left it.The
first said, ‘Who has been sitting in my chair?’The
second said, ‘Who has been eating off my plate?’The
third said, ‘Who has been nibbling my bread?’The
fourth said, ‘Who has been eating my vegetables?’The
fifth said, ‘Who has been using my fork?’The
sixth said, ‘Who has been cutting with my knife?’The
seventh said, ‘Who has been drinking out of my cup?’In
the evening the seven Dwarfs came back.Then
the first looked and saw a slight impression on his bed, and said,
‘Who has been treading on my bed?’ The others came running up and
said, ‘And mine, and mine.’ But the seventh, when he looked into
his bed, saw Snowdrop, who lay there asleep. He called the others,
who came up and cried out with astonishment, as they held their
lights and gazed at Snowdrop. ‘Heavens! what a beautiful child,’
they said, and they were so delighted that they did not wake her up
but left her asleep in bed. And the seventh Dwarf slept with his
comrades, an hour with each all through the night.When
morning came Snowdrop woke up, and when she saw the seven Dwarfs she
was frightened.But
they were very kind and asked her name.
‘I
am called Snowdrop,’ she answered.
‘How
did you get into our house?’ they asked.Then
she told them how her stepmother had wished to get rid of her, how
the Huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run all day till
she had found the house.Then
the Dwarfs said, ‘Will you look after our household, cook, make the
beds, wash, sew and knit, and keep everything neat and clean? If so
you shall stay with us and want for nothing.’
‘Yes,’
said Snowdrop, ‘with all my heart’; and she stayed with them and
kept the house in order.In
the morning they went to the mountain and searched for copper and
gold, and in the evening they came back and then their meal had to be
ready. All day the maiden was alone, and the good Dwarfs warned her
and said, ‘Beware of your stepmother, who will soon learn that you
are here. Don’t let any one in.’But
the Queen, having, as she imagined, eaten Snowdrop’s liver and
lungs, and feeling certain that she was the fairest of all, stepped
in front of her Glass, and asked—
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’the
Glass answered as usual—
‘Queen,
thou art fairest here, I hold,But
Snowdrop over the fells,Who
with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is
fairer still a thousandfold.’She
was dismayed, for she knew that the Glass told no lies, and she saw
that the Hunter had deceived her and that Snowdrop still lived.
Accordingly she began to wonder afresh how she might compass her
death; for as long as she was not the fairest in the land her jealous
heart left her no rest. At last she thought of a plan. She dyed her
face and dressed up like an old Pedlar, so that she was quite
unrecognisable. In this guise she crossed over the seven mountains to
the home of the seven Dwarfs and called out, ‘Wares for sale.’Snowdrop
peeped out of the window and said, ‘Good-day, mother, what have you
got to sell?’
‘Good
wares, fine wares,’ she answered, ‘laces of every colour’; and
she held out one which was made of gay plaited silk.
‘I
may let the honest woman in,’ thought Snowdrop, and she unbolted
the door and bought the pretty lace.
‘Child,’
said the Old Woman, ‘what a sight you are, I will lace you properly
for once.’Snowdrop
made no objection, and placed herself before the Old Woman to let her
lace her with the new lace. But the Old Woman laced so quickly and
tightly that she took away Snowdrop’s breath and she fell down as
though dead.
‘Now
I am the fairest,’ she said to herself, and hurried away.Not
long after the seven Dwarfs came home, and were horror-struck when
they saw their dear little Snowdrop lying on the floor without
stirring, like one dead. When they saw she was laced too tight they
cut the lace, whereupon she began to breathe and soon came back to
life again. When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said that
the old Pedlar was no other than the wicked Queen. ‘Take care not
to let any one in when we are not here,’ they said.Now
the wicked Queen, as soon as she got home, went to the Glass and
asked—
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’and
it answered as usual—
‘Queen,
thou art fairest here, I hold,But
Snowdrop over the fells,Who
with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is
fairer still a thousandfold.’When
she heard it all her blood flew to her heart, so enraged was she, for
she knew that Snowdrop had come back to life again. Then she thought
to herself, ‘I must plan something which will put an end to her.’
By means of witchcraft, in which she was skilled, she made a poisoned
comb. Next she disguised herself and took the form of a different Old
Woman. She crossed the mountains and came to the home of the seven
Dwarfs, and knocked at the door calling out, ‘Good wares to sell.’Snowdrop
looked out of the window and said, ‘Go away, I must not let any one
in.’
‘At
least you may look,’ answered the Old Woman, and she took the
poisoned comb and held it up.The
child was so pleased with it that she let herself be beguiled, and
opened the door.When
she had made a bargain the Old Woman said, ‘Now I will comb your
hair properly for once.’Poor
Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, let the Old Woman have her way, but
scarcely was the poisoned comb fixed in her hair than the poison took
effect, and the maiden fell down unconscious.
‘You
paragon of beauty,’ said the wicked woman, ‘now it is all over
with you,’ and she went away.Happily
it was near the time when the seven Dwarfs came home. When they saw
Snowdrop lying on the ground as though dead, they immediately
suspected her stepmother, and searched till they found the poisoned
comb. No sooner had they removed it than Snowdrop came to herself
again and related what had happened. They warned her again to be on
her guard, and to open the door to no one.When
she got home the Queen stood before her Glass and said—
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’and
it answered as usual—
‘Queen,
thou art fairest here, I hold,But
Snowdrop over the fells,Who
with the seven Dwarfs dwells,Is
fairer still a thousandfold.’When
she heard the Glass speak these words she trembled and quivered with
rage. ‘Snowdrop shall die,’ she said, ‘even if it cost me my
own life.’ Thereupon she went into a secret room, which no one ever
entered but herself, and made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it was
beautiful to look upon, with rosy cheeks, and every one who saw it
longed for it, but whoever ate of it was certain to die. When the
apple was ready she dyed her face and dressed herself like an old
Peasant Woman and so crossed the seven hills to the Dwarfs’ home.
There she knocked.Snowdrop
put her head out of the window and said, ‘I must not let any one
in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me.’
‘It
is all the same to me,’ said the Peasant Woman. ‘I shall soon get
rid of my apples. There, I will give you one.’
‘No;
I must not take anything.’
‘Are
you afraid of poison?’ said the woman. ‘See, I will cut the apple
in half: you eat the red side and I will keep the other.’Now
the apple was so cunningly painted that the red half alone was
poisoned. Snowdrop longed for the apple, and when she saw the Peasant
Woman eating she could hold out no longer, stretched out her hand and
took the poisoned half. Scarcely had she put a bit into her mouth
than she fell dead to the ground.The
Queen looked with a fiendish glance, and laughed aloud and said,
‘White as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony, this time the
Dwarfs cannot wake you up again.’ And when she got home and asked
the Looking-glass—
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’it
answered at last—
‘Queen,
thou’rt fairest of them all.’Then
her jealous heart was at rest, as much at rest as a jealous heart can
be. The Dwarfs, when they came at evening, found Snowdrop lying on
the ground and not a breath escaped her lips, and she was quite dead.
They lifted her up and looked to see whether any poison was to be
found, unlaced her dress, combed her hair, washed her with wine and
water, but it was no use; their dear child was dead. They laid her on
a bier, and all seven sat down and bewailed her and lamented over her
for three whole days. Then they prepared to bury her, but she looked
so fresh and living, and still had such beautiful rosy cheeks, that
they said, ‘We cannot bury her in the dark earth.’ And so they
had a transparent glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from
every side, laid her inside and wrote on it in letters of gold her
name and how she was a King’s daughter. Then they set the coffin
out on the mountain, and one of them always stayed by and watched it.
And the birds came too and mourned for Snowdrop, first an owl, then a
raven, and lastly a dove.Now
Snowdrop lay a long, long time in her coffin, looking as though she
were asleep. It happened that a Prince was wandering in the wood, and
came to the home of the seven Dwarfs to pass the night. He saw the
coffin on the mountain and lovely Snowdrop inside, and read what was
written in golden letters. Then he said to the Dwarfs, ‘Let me have
the coffin; I will give you whatever you like for it.’But
they said, ‘We will not give it up for all the gold of the world.’Then
he said, ‘Then give it to me as a gift, for I cannot live without
Snowdrop to gaze upon; and I will honour and reverence it as my
dearest treasure.’When
he had said these words the good Dwarfs pitied him and gave him the
coffin.The
Prince bade his servants carry it on their shoulders. Now it happened
that they stumbled over some brushwood, and the shock dislodged the
piece of apple from Snowdrop’s throat. In a short time she opened
her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, sat up and came back to life
again completely.
‘O
Heaven! where am I?’ she asked.The
Prince, full of joy, said, ‘You are with me,’ and he related what
had happened, and then said, ‘I love you better than all the world;
come with me to my father’s castle and be my wife.’Snowdrop
agreed and went with him, and their wedding was celebrated with great
magnificence. Snowdrop’s wicked stepmother was invited to the
feast; and when she had put on her fine clothes she stepped to her
Glass and asked—
‘Mirror,
Mirror on the wall,Who
is fairest of us all?’The
Glass answered—
‘Queen,
thou art fairest here, I hold,The
young Queen fairer a thousandfold.’Then
the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so terribly frightened that
she didn’t know what to do. Yet she had no rest: she felt obliged
to go and see the young Queen. And when she came in she recognised
Snowdrop, and stood stock still with fear and terror. But iron
slippers were heated over the fire, and were soon brought in with
tongs and put before her. And she had to step into the red-hot shoes
and dance till she fell down dead.