Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs / Белоснежка и семь гномов. Уровень 1

“I wonder who lives in that cottage? It must be a wood-man’s cottage,” she said.

She knocked at the door. No one answered. But the door was open, so she pushed it and went inside. It was very dark. She found some candles and matchsticks. She lit a candle, raised it above her head and looked around.

“What a beautiful cottage!” she exclaimed. “Everything is so neat and clean.”

She saw a long table laid for seven people. There were seven plates filled with food, seven bowls filled with milk, seven forks and knives and seven drinking cups. There were also seven chairs around the table.

“Whoever lives here is very short!” she observed. “Everything is so small – chairs, plates, bowls, forks, knives and the drinking cups!”

Snow White was very hungry. She had been walking and running the whole day without food. Now she ate a piece of bread from each plate and drank some milk from each cup. She sliced and ate the cheese that she found in the centre of the table.

“Now, let me see what’s upstairs,” she said, and climbed the steps. There, she found seven beds neatly made up. She sat on one and found it very comfortable. She was exhausted, so she put the candle on the table, lay down across the seven beds and soon fell asleep.

This cottage was the home of seven dwarfs. They were miners, who were digging for diamonds and gems in the mountains nearby. Every morning they took their sacks, picks and shovels and set off for the mountains. There they were trying to find diamonds and gems that they filled into their sacks. In the evenings, they lit their lanterns and returned to their cottage, singing on the way home.

Their singing stopped that evening, when they saw a light in the windows. They were amazed and looked at one another.

“Someone is in our cottage!” they exclaimed in chorus.

They walked slowly and carefully back to their cottage. Who could it be? They were frightened but still they crept in, making as little noise as possible.

“Someone has eaten our food!” said one of the dwarfs.

“Some of our food,” corrected the other.

Then they crept upstairs, scared that they might find a robber hiding there. When they saw Snow White asleep on their beds, they exclaimed, “It’s a girl!” and raised their lanterns high to get a better look. “She’s so beautiful!” they said.

Snow White was fast asleep, her curly head on one of their pillows. They all sat around her, wondering who she was.

Suddenly Snow White opened her eyes. When she saw the seven dwarfs she jumped up.

“Oh, please don’t be afraid,” they said hastily. “We will not harm you. We are miners. And this is our cottage. Please tell us who you are and how you got here.”

Snow White told them her story and explained that now she had no home. Tears rolled down her eyes. “Will you please let me stay here? Please! The Queen wants me dead. She will kill me if I return to the palace.”

“Of course you can stay here as long as you wish.”

“Oh, thank you! I’ll keep house clean for you, cook your meals and wash your clothes. I’ll do everything for you, in return for your kindness.”

One of the dwarfs cleared his throat and said, “Let me introduce you to our group. As you can see, we are seven dwarfs. My name is Happy, then there is Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Doc, Grumpy and Sleepy.”

Snow White shook hands with each one.

Snow White and the seven dwarfs began to live happily together. She had never been so happy. She sang while she worked and kept the cottage clear and tidy.

The dwarfs relished the hot meals she served them every evening. Later there was a lot of fun, as they sang and danced before the fireplace. When it was time to sleep, Snow White would tuck them into their beds and tell them bedtime stories. Afterwards, she would kiss everyone goodnight, take the candle and go down to bed herself.

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