Part 6

“Lady Queen, thou art fairest here, But Snowdrop up in the mountains near, Who lives with the seven dwarfs, odd and queer, A thousand times fairer doth appear.”

When she heard this she turned pale with fright and anger, for she knew that Snowdrop must have come back to life again.

“I will think of some way to make an end of her once for all,” she said to herself.

By means of witchcraft, in which she was skilled, she prepared a poisoned comb. Then she took the form of another old woman. She went over the hills till she came to the house of the seven dwarfs, and knocking at the door she called out, “Wares, fine wares, to sell!”

Snowdrop looked out of the window and said, “Go away; I am not to let any one in.”

“But surely you are allowed to look out,” said the old woman; and she held up the poisoned comb for her to see.

The child was so pleased with it that she let herself be beguiled, and opened the door. When they had settled their bargain the old woman said, “Now I will comb your hair properly for once.”

Poor little Snowdrop had no thought of evil and let the woman do as she pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in the child’s hair when the poison took effect, and she fell down unconscious.

“Well, my beauty, you are really done for now,” said the wicked woman, and she went away.

Fortunately it was near evening, when the seven dwarfs always came home. When they saw Snowdrop lying on the floor as if she were dead, they at once suspected the stepmother had been there again; so they searched till they found the poisoned comb, and as soon as they had drawn it out, Snowdrop came to herself and told them what had happened. Again they warned her to be on her guard and to open the door to no one.

As soon as the Queen got home she went to her mirror and said,

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?”

But the mirror replied as before,

“Lady Queen, thou art fairest here, But Snowdrop up in the mountains near, Who lives with the seven dwarfs, odd and queer, A thousand times fairer doth appear.”

When she heard these words she actually trembled and shook with rage.

Then she went into a secret room, which no one but herself ever entered, and there she prepared a poisoned apple. Outwardly it looked very pretty, with such rosy cheeks that every one who saw it would long to eat it, but any one who ate a piece of it would be sure to die. When the apple was ready she stained her face and dressed herself as a peasant woman, and so she went over the hills to the home of the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door as usual, but Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said, “I am not to let any one in; the seven dwarfs have forbidden me.”

“It is all the same to me,” answered the woman. “I shall soon get rid of my apples. There, I will give you one.”

“No,” said Snowdrop, “I am not to take anything.”

“Are you afraid of poison?” said the woman. “See, I will cut the apple in two. You eat the red cheek and I will eat the white.”

The apple was so cunningly made that only the red side was poisoned. Snowdrop longed to eat the fine apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it herself, she could resist no longer, but stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. But hardly had she touched the first bite to her lips before she fell down dead. Then the cruel Queen looked down on her with fiendish delight, and laughing aloud she cried, “As white as snow, as red as blood, as black as ebony; this time the dwarfs cannot wake you.”

When she got home and asked the mirror,

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?”

it answered at last,

“Queen, so beautiful and tall, Thou art fairest of them all.”

Then her jealous heart was at rest—at least, as far as a jealous heart can ever be at rest.

When the dwarfs came home in the evening they found Snowdrop lying on the floor, and she neither breathed nor moved. They lifted her up and looked to see if they could find anything poisonous. They unlaced her bodice, washed her with water and wine, but all in vain; the child was dead, and remained dead. Then they laid her on a bier, and the seven dwarfs seated themselves round her, and wept for her, and mourned for three days. They were going to bury her, but she looked so fresh and lifelike and had such pretty color in her cheeks that they said, “We cannot lay her away in the dark ground.”

So they had a transparent coffin made of glass, and they laid her in it, and wrote on the lid in letters of gold her name, and that she was a King’s daughter. Then they put the coffin on the top of the mountain, and one of the dwarfs always stayed by it and kept watch over it. And the birds came, too, and mourned for Snowdrop,—first an owl, then a raven, and last of all a little white dove.

Snowdrop lay a long, long time in the coffin unchanged, looking as if she were asleep; for she was still as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair as black as ebony.

Now it happened that one day a King’s son came into the wood and went to the dwarfs’ house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain with beautiful Snowdrop lying in it, and when he had read what was written on the lid in letters of gold, he said to the dwarfs: “Let me have the coffin. I will give you whatever you like for it.”

But the dwarfs said, “No; we would not part with it for all the gold in the world.”

But he replied: “Then give it to me as a gift, for I cannot live without Snowdrop to gaze upon. I will honor and prize it as my dearest possession.”

When he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin, and the Prince had his servants bear it away upon their shoulders. Now it happened that one of them stumbled over a tree stump. This jolted the coffin so sharply that the poisoned piece of apple which Snowdrop had bitten fell out of her throat. Before long she slowly opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin, and sat up alive once more.

“Oh, dear!” she cried, “where am I?”

The Prince answered joyfully, “You are with me,” and told her all that happened, saying as he finished the story: “I love you better than any one in the world. Will you come with me to my father’s palace and be my wife?”

Snowdrop consented and went with him, and their wedding was celebrated with great state and splendor.

Now Snowdrop’s wicked stepmother was one of those invited to the feast. When she had arrayed herself in beautiful clothes, for the occasion she went to the mirror and said,

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?”

The mirror answered,

“Lady Queen, thou art fairest here, But the young Queen now at the palace near A thousand times fairer doth appear.”

Then the wicked woman uttered a curse and was so beside herself with anger and mortification that she did not know what to do. At first she resolved not to go to the wedding at all, but she felt she could have no peace till she had seen the young Queen. When she went in she recognized Snowdrop and stood stock-still with rage and fear. She knew she could not be again the most beautiful woman in the world, and her anger was so great that she fell dead at the feast.

THE WHITE CAT

Once upon a time there was a King who had three brave and handsome sons. As they grew to be fine, tall young men, he began to be afraid that they might want to rule over the kingdom before he was dead. The King was old, but was as vigorous in mind as ever he had been, and did not wish to give up his crown. He thought that the best way to live in peace was to divert their minds by promises he could always avoid fulfilling.

He called his sons to him and said: “You will agree with me, my dear children, that I shall soon be getting too old to reign any longer. I want, therefore, to give my crown to one of you. But it is only fair that in return for such a gift you should do something to make life pleasant for me after I have retired into the country. I should like to have a pretty, clever, faithful little dog who would be good company for me. So without any regard to your ages, I declare to you that the one who brings me the most beautiful little dog shall be my heir.”

The Princes were surprised at their father’s sudden fancy for a little dog, but were well pleased with the plan. They took leave of the King, who gave them plenty of money and told them that in a year without fail they must all return, and on the same day at the same hour bring him their little dogs.

Before they started they went to a castle outside the town and held a great feast, at which they promised always to be friends, and not be jealous of one another in this matter. They agreed that the successful one should share his good fortune with the others. Then they set out, deciding that they would meet at the same castle on their return and go together to the King. Each took a different road. All three met with many adventures, but I am only going to tell you about those of the youngest.

He was young, and gay, and handsome, and had all the accomplishments a Prince should have; as for his courage, he was simply fearless.

No day passed without his buying some dogs. He bought big dogs and little dogs, house dogs, hunting dogs, mastiffs, greyhounds, spaniels, and lapdogs,—dogs of every kind. As soon as he bought a pretty one he was sure to see another that was prettier, and then he had to sell the others and get that one, for he found it impossible to take thirty or forty thousand dogs about with him.

One evening he entered a great forest. Night came on suddenly and with it a violent storm of thunder and lightning; the rain began to pour down. He took the first path he came to, and after he had walked a long time he saw a faint light and hoped he was coming to some house where he might find shelter for the night. Guided by the light he reached the gates of the most magnificent castle that could be imagined. The gate was of gold, covered with rubies, and it was the bright, red light which shone from them that the Prince had seen. The walls were of transparent porcelain, painted in many colors with pictures out of fairy tales, the adventures of the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, and of Cinderella, and a hundred others.

Upon the door was a deer’s foot fastened by a chain of diamonds. The Prince pulled it and heard a silver bell ring. Instantly the door flew open, but he could see nothing but a dozen hands in the air, each holding a torch. He was so astonished that he hesitated to enter, but he felt himself pushed forward from behind by other hands. He was somewhat uneasy, but put his hand on his sword and walked on. He entered a hall paved with lapis lazuli, where he heard two enchanting voices singing these words,

“Fear not these hands that float in space, Nor anything else that here you see, Unless from the charms of a beautiful face You would keep your heart still fancy free.”

This welcome reassured the Prince. The hands guided him toward a large door of coral, which opened of itself and admitted him to a hall of mother-of-pearl. Out of this opened other rooms so richly adorned with paintings and precious stones and so brilliantly lighted with thousands of hanging lamps that he was dazzled by their magnificence. When he had passed through sixty rooms the hands that were guiding him stopped, and a most comfortable armchair moved of itself toward the fireplace. At the same moment the fire was lighted, and hands which he noticed were very beautiful—small, white, plump, and well proportioned—took off his wet clothes. Then they presented him with new garments made of the finest materials and richly embroidered with gold and emeralds. They combed his hair and waited on him with the greatest skill, though sometimes they appeared so suddenly that they made him start.

When his toilet was complete—and I assure you the fine costume became him well—the hands conducted him to a splendid room, upon the walls of which were painted the histories of Puss in Boots and other famous cats. The table was laid for two, with gold knife, fork, and spoon for each; the sideboard was covered with vessels and glasses of crystal set with precious stones. The Prince was wondering who the second cover was for, when in came a company of cats, carrying guitars. They took their places on a little platform, and, under the leadership of a cat who had a book of music before her and beat time with a roll of paper, they began to mew each in a different key, and to draw their claws across the strings of their guitars, making the strangest music that was ever heard. The Prince stopped his ears, but even then he could not keep from laughing heartily at the positions and grimaces of these novel musicians.

He was wondering what queer thing would happen to him next when he saw a tiny figure enter the room. It was covered by a long black veil. Two cats bearing black cloaks and carrying swords conducted it, and a retinue of cats followed.

The Prince was more astonished than ever; he did not know what to think. The little black figure approached him and threw back the veil. Then he saw the most beautiful white cat that ever was or ever will be. She looked very young and sad, and in a sweet voice that went straight to the Prince’s heart she said to him, “King’s Son, you are welcome; the Queen of cats is glad to see you.”

“Madam Cat,” said the Prince, “it is very kind of you to receive me with such courtesy, but surely you are no ordinary cat. Your gift of speech and your magnificent castle are strong proof to the contrary.”

“King’s Son,” replied the White Cat, “I beg of you to spare me these compliments, for I am very simple in my speech. But now,” she added, “let supper be served and let the musicians be silent, for the Prince does not understand what they are saying.”

“Are they really saying anything, madam?” asked the Prince.

“Certainly,” she answered. “We have excellent music here. If you stay with us a little while, you will soon learn to appreciate it.”

“Indeed, I shall be a ready scholar,” said the Prince, politely.

Supper was now served by the mysterious hands. Soup made of white mice was brought to the White Cat. When a plate was put before the Prince he did not like to taste it. But the White Cat assured him that his soup was made of pigeons, and that none of the dishes intended for him contained either rats or mice. They talked together on different subjects, and the Prince found that she knew all about what was going on in the world, and was well informed along many lines.

After supper the White Cat invited her guest into another room fitted up with a stage, where the cats danced and acted for their amusement. Then the White Cat said good night to him, and the hands conducted him to an apartment just opposite the one he had been in before. It was hung with butterflies’ wings of every color; there were mirrors that reached from the floor to the ceiling; and his bed was draped in gauze, fastened with a thousand knots of ribbon. The Prince went to bed in silence, for he did not know how to begin a conversation with the hands that waited on him.

In the morning he was awakened by noise and confusion outside, and the hands came quickly and dressed him in hunting costume. He looked out into the courtyard and saw more than five hundred cats making preparation for this holiday, for the White Cat was going hunting. He was led to a wooden horse, which he seemed to be expected to mount. He did so, and to his surprise it galloped off gayly.

The White Cat was riding a monkey, which went very fast and carried her even to the tops of trees when she wanted to reach eagles’ nests. The cats ran after rabbits and hares and caught them, and the kittens climbed everywhere for birds. The Prince had never enjoyed a hunt more. When the hunt was over they returned to the castle, and the Prince and the White Cat supped together as before.

So the days passed in all kinds of amusements, and the Prince thought only of the little White Cat with whom he was so happy. But she knew when he ought to return, and as he had quite forgotten, she reminded him.

“Do you know,” she said, “that you have only three days in which to look for the little dog your father wants, and that your brothers have found beauties?”

The Prince came to himself and was astonished at his forgetfulness.

“Why, how came I to forget such an important errand?” he said. “What shall I do? I can never get home in time, much less find a dog.” And he began to be very much vexed and distressed.

But the White Cat comforted him, saying, “King’s Son, do not vex yourself; I am your friend. You can stay here another day, for the good wooden horse will take you to your country in less than twelve hours.”

“I thank you, beautiful White Cat,” said the Prince; “but it is not enough that I return to my father; I must take him a little dog.”

“Look,” said the White Cat; “here is an acorn in which is a little dog prettier even than the one in the dog star.”

“O Madam Cat,” said the Prince, “you are making fun of me.”

“Put the acorn to your ear,” said she.

He obeyed and heard a little sound inside, “Bow-wow!” The Prince was delighted, for a dog that could be shut up in an acorn must be very tiny. He was so eager to see it that he wanted to open the acorn, but the White Cat told him it might be cold on the journey, and it would therefore be better to wait until he was in his father’s presence. He thanked her a thousand times, and said good-by very sadly when he started out.

“The days with you have passed so quickly,” he said, “I only wish I could take you along with me.”

But at this proposal the White Cat only sighed deeply.

The Prince was the first to arrive at the place where the three brothers agreed to meet. They embraced each other affectionately and began to tell their adventures. But the Prince did not tell his real adventures, and showed only a common cur, letting his brothers think that this was the one he was going to show the King. They laughed at him and showed him two beautiful little dogs in baskets.

When they reached the palace every one crowded about to welcome them. They went into the King’s hall. He did not know in whose favor to decide, for the dogs of the two elder sons seemed equally beautiful. They were already making their plans about sharing the crown when the youngest drew out of his pocket the acorn which the White Cat had given him. He opened it, and there was a wonderful little dog with silky white hair and long ears lying on cotton wool. The Prince put it through a ring without its touching the sides. Then he placed it on the ground, and it got up at once and began to dance. The King did not know what to say, for it was impossible to imagine anything more beautiful than this little dog.

But he had not the least desire to part with his crown. The tiniest gem of it was dearer to him than all the dogs in the world. He told his children that as they had all succeeded so well the first time, he would ask them to go once more. This time he would give them a year to seek by land and sea a piece of linen so fine that it could be drawn through the eye of the finest needle.

Each departed his own way. Our Prince mounted the wooden horse again and rode back with all speed to the White Cat. He found all the doors open and the windows, roofs, towers, and walls lighted brilliantly. The hands came to meet him and led the wooden horse off to the stable, while the Prince hastened to the room of the White Cat. She was asleep in a little basket on a white satin cushion, but she started up when the Prince came in and received him with the greatest joy.

“How could I hope that you would come back to me, King’s Son?”

The Prince caressed and petted her and told her of his journey. Then he told her what the King wanted this time and asked her for help, for the request seemed impossible to him. The White Cat looked serious and said she must think the matter over; fortunately there were cats in the castle who spun very well; if it could be done they could do it. She would set them to it, and he need take no care.

The second year passed as quickly and happily as the first. Presently the White Cat told him that the year was gone, and that he need not be at all anxious about the linen, as she had a piece ready for him.

“This time I can give you an equipage suited to your rank,” she added; and bade him look out into the courtyard. There stood a splendid open carriage enameled in flame-colored gold. Twelve snow-white horses harnessed in fours drew it; their trappings were of flame-colored velvet embroidered with diamonds. A hundred coaches, each drawn by eight horses and filled with richly dressed nobles, were ready to accompany him. A thousand guards were in waiting behind to end the procession.

“Go!” she said to the Prince; “and when you appear at your father’s court in such state, he will surely not refuse you the crown you deserve. Here is a walnut; do not crack it until you are before him. Then you will find in it the piece of linen you asked of me.”

“Dear White Cat,” said the Prince, “how can I ever thank you? If you will only consent to it, I will gladly give up all thought of ever being King and stay here with you.”

“King’s Son,” she replied, “it is very good of you to care so much for a little white cat who is good for nothing but to catch mice; but you must go.”

So the Prince kissed her paw and set out. They did not stop at all until they came to the King’s palace where the two elder brothers had already arrived. They displayed their pieces of linen, which were indeed so fine that they would go through the eye of a big needle; but the King, who was very glad of some excuse, sent for a very small needle that he had selected and had kept locked with the State treasure. Through this the linen would not go. The Princes were angry, and said that this was a trick that the King was playing on them.

But all at once there was a sound of trumpets and the youngest son appeared. The King and his two elder sons were astonished at his magnificence. After the young Prince had greeted them he took out the walnut and cracked it, thinking to find in it the piece of linen, but instead there was only a hazelnut. He cracked that and was surprised to see a cherry stone. The people who were looking on began to smile, and the King laughed to himself at the idea that a walnut should contain a piece of linen. The Prince cracked the cherry stone, which contained a kernel. He opened that and found a grain of wheat, and in that was a millet seed. Then he began to wonder too, and murmured, “Why, White Cat, you have made game of me.”

At that moment he felt a cat’s claw on his hand, which scratched him so sharply that he bled. He hoped this was to encourage him, and opened the millet seed. Then, to the astonishment of every one, he drew forth a piece of linen four hundred ells long. Into it were woven all the kinds of birds and beasts and fishes in the world; the sun, moon, and stars; every sort of plant and tree that grows; and pictures of all the Kings and Queens in the world, and all their children. When the needle was brought the linen went through the eye six times with ease. The King and the two elder brothers sat still and did not say a word, for no one could help seeing that this linen was so beautiful and rare that nothing in the world could be compared to it.