Snowdrop peeped out of the window and said, “Good day, my good woman, what have you to sell?” [[141]]
“Good wares, fine wares,” she answered; “bodice laces of all colors,” and she pulled out one that was woven of gay-colored silk.
“Surely I may let this honest woman in,” thought Snowdrop; so she unbarred the door and bought the pretty lace.
“Child, child,” said the old woman, “what a figure you have! Come, let me lace you properly for once.”
Snowdrop had no suspicion, but stood before the woman and let her lace her with the new lace. But the old woman laced her so quickly and so tightly that it took Snowdrop’s breath away, and she fell down as though dead.
“Now you are no longer the fairest,” said the Queen, and she hurried away.
Not long after, toward evening, the seven dwarfs came home and were terribly frightened to see their dear little Snowdrop lying on the floor, still and motionless as if she were dead. They lifted her up, and when they saw how tightly she was laced, they cut the laces in two; then she began to [[142]]breathe a little and gradually came back to life. When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said: “The old peddler woman was none other than the wicked Queen. Snowdrop, you must take care and let no one in when we are not at home.”
The wicked Queen went straight to her mirror the minute she got home and said,
“Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?”