"No, no other I know half so well, little girl. His mother died, I say and then—then he met the Princess."
The child beamed again. "Was she beautiful as the day? did she live in a Nivory tower, and let her hair down out of the window? was there dragons? did the dwarf fall in love wiz her right off that minute he seed her?"
"The tower was brown," said the dwarf, "brown stone. No, she didn't let her hair down, and there were no dragons; quite the contrary, the door was always open—always open, and the way seemed clear. But she was beautiful, and he fell in love with her. Oh, yes! she had soft clear eyes, and soft pale cheeks, and soft dark hair; everything about her was soft and sweet and—
"Well, this dwarf fell in love with her, and wanted to marry her. Yes, as you say, they always do. For a long time, a very long time, he did not dare to think of its being possible that she could love him. He would have been content—content and thankful—just to be her friend, just to be allowed to see her now and then, and take her hand, and feel her smile through and through him like wine. But—her eyes were so soft—and she looked at him so—that he asked her—"
"Mark, what for do you keep stopping like that? never you must, when you are telling a story; always they go right on."
"What was I saying?" The dwarf looked at the child, with eyes that seemed not to see her, but something beyond her. "What was I saying, Snow-white?"
"He asked her would she marry him!" said the child, promptly. "And she said no indeed, she wouldn't do noffin of the kind, she was going to marry a beautiful Prince, wiz—"
"I beg your pardon, Snow-white; you are wrong this time. She said she would marry him. She looked at him with her soft eyes, and said she loved him. She said—the kind of things his mother had said; and the dwarf, being stupid, believed her."
The child bubbled over with laughter. "Wasn't he silly? but of course she didn't, Mark!"
"Of course not. But he thought she was going to; so he built a house,—well, we'll call it a palace if you like, Snow-white; perhaps it was as good as some palaces. At any rate, it was the best he could build. And he filled it full of things,—what kind of things? Oh, pictures and statues and draperies, and,—yes, silver and gold and jewels, any quantity of jewels; and he sent abroad for silks and satins and shawls,—"