The Queen stamped her foot in anger. Then she thought and she thought and at last came up with a plan she thought was bound to succeed. She took a rosy apple and poisoned it, all except the core. Then, the next morning, disguising herself once more as an old pedlar selling apples, she found her way to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs and knocked upon the door. 'No, I cannot let you in,' said Snow White. 'I have some lovely apples,' cried the pedlar. 'See, I'll give you one. You eat the rosy cheeks, and I'll eat the core.' And the stepmother took out the poisoned apple, polished it and cutting it up, ate the core, which was not poisoned. Snow White, seeing that she came to no harm, and tempted by the apple, took a bite of the proffered piece - and at once fell to the floor as though dead. This time the Queen was sure her plan had worked.

That evening when the dwarfs came home, they found Snow White lying on the floor as though dead. This time they could not revive her, no matter what they did.

And that evening, when the Queen pulled out her mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?", the mirror answered, " You are the fairest, lady Queen."

The dwarfs, meanwhile, wept and wept over Snow White. She looked so pretty even in death that they did not have the heart to bury her. So they built a casket of glass, and placed her in it, and set the casket upon a ledge of rock in the forest. One of the dwarfs always remained by the casket, watching.

One day a prince came riding by, and seeing the beautiful maiden lying as though asleep in the casket, he fell in love with her.

'Give me the casket,' he said to the dwarfs. 'I cannot live without Snow White, and will take good care of her as long as I live.'

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cont'd... 
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