There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage.  In
front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees,
one of which bore white and the other red roses.  She had two
children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called
Snow-white, and the other Rose-red.  They were as good and
happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world
were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-
red.  Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields
seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at
home with her mother, and helped her with her house-work, or
read to her when there was nothing to do.

The two children were so fond of each another that they always
held each other by the hand when they went out together, and
when Snow-white said, "We will not leave each other," Rose-red
answered, "Never so long as we live," and their mother would add,
"What one has she must share with the other."

They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and
no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully.  The
little hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed
by their side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon
the boughs, and sang whatever they knew.
 

No mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and
night came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the
moss, and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and
had no distress on their account.
 

Once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had
roused them, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting
near their bed.  He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said
nothing and went away into the forest.  And when they looked round
they found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and
would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only
a few paces further.  And their mother told them that it must have been
the angel who watches over good children.

Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's little cottage so neat
that it was a pleasure to look inside it.  In the summer Rose-red took
care of the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her
mother's bed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. 
In the winter Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the wrekin. 
The kettle was of copper and shone like gold, so brightly was it
polished.  In the evening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said,
"Go, Snow-white, and bolt the door," and then they sat round the
hearth, and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of
a large book, and the two girls listened as they sat and span.  And
close by them lay a lamb upon the floor, and behind them upon a
perch sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its wings.

One evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together,
some one knocked at the door as if he wished to be let in.  The
mother said, "Quick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] 下一页