白雪公主.4 | Snow White Chapter 4

By and by in came the masters ofthe cottage. They were seven dwarfs, returning home from their work of miningfor gold and silver in the nearby mountains. They lighted up their sevenlamps, and saw at once that all was not right. The first said, ‘Who has beensitting on my stool?’ The second, ‘Who has been eating off my plate?’ Thethird, ‘Who has been picking my bread?’ The fourth, ‘Who has been meddling withmy spoon?’ The fifth, ‘Who has been handling my fork?’ The sixth, ‘Who has beencutting with my knife?’ The seventh, ‘Who has been drinking my wine?’ Then thefirst looked round and said, ‘Who has been lying on my bed?’ And the rest camerunning to him, and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. Butthe seventh saw Snow White, and called all his brothers to come and see her;and they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought their lamps to lookat her, and said, ‘Good heavens! what a lovely child she is!’ And they werevery glad to see her, and took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarfslept that night under the kitchen table so as not to disturb her rest.

In the morning Snow White toldthem all her story; and they pitied her, and implored her to stay with them,and they would take good care of her and protect her as best they could. SnowWhite readily agreed, provided she be allowed to earn her room andboard by keeping the cottage in order, and cook and wash and knit andspin for them.