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Quite a long time after that their mother sent Snow-White and Rose-Red down to the stream to see if they could catch some fish for dinner. As they came near the water they could see that something was jumping and hopping along by the stream and that with each hop it seemed to be getting closer to the water. It looked as if a large grasshopper was just going to jump into the little river. Running forward to see what this could possibly be, they saw that it was the dwarf again.
"Where are you going?" called out Rose-Red. "You'll be in the water in a minute if you go on like that!"
"Don't you see, you stupid creature?" screamed the dwarf. "It's this wretched fish that's trying to pull me in!"
What had happened was that the little man had been sitting there fishing. The wind had happened to catch his beard and had tangled it up with the fishing-line, just at the moment when a big fish had taken the hook. The fish had pulled and the dwarf had pulled, but now—by the time the girls saw him—the fish had begun to get the better of it, and, though the dwarf held on to all the clumps of reed and rushes as he passed, in another minute he would have been pulled, splash! into the water. The two girls lost no time. One held the dwarf fast and the other tried to untwist his beard from the line. But it was all in vain for the fish kept jumping and pulling so much that try as they would, the tangle only got worse. There was nothing to be done but to bring out the scissors again and once more to cut his beard.
This time the dwarf was absolutely furious and his voice rose to a regular squeak.
"You toadstool!" he cried to Rose-Red. "What a mess you've made of my face between you! First one of you cuts off the tip, and now, today, the other one has cut off the best part of my beautiful beard! I shan't dare to show myself to the other dwarfs!" And with that, trembling with rage, he picked up another sack—full of pearls this one was—which had been hidden in the rushes. Then he hoisted the sack on to his back, and once more without a word or even a look of thanks, he disappeared among the willows.
Quite a long time passed, but the two girls didn't see the dwarf again. Then, one day in the autumn, their mother sent them to the town, to buy needles and thread and a few other things she needed for sewing their winter dresses. They were nearly grown up now so that their little girls' dresses were no good to them.
The way to the town lay across a big bare heath where heather and bog-myrtle grew and where huge pieces of rock lay strewn here and there. As they walked along, the girls noticed a huge bird which hovered in the air or sailed slowly round and round on its outspread wings, sometimes almost above them. At last they saw the eagle dart off and then swoop down behind a rock which was not far off. As soon as it dropped they heard a loud and pitiful screaming, and running up they saw that the huge bird was seizing their old acquaintance, the dwarf, in its talons. It was plain that the eagle was just going to make off with him. Full of pity, the girls reached up and took hold of the little man and, pulling and tugging, they managed to get him out of the eagle's claws and to drive off the great bird.
For a moment the frightened dwarf lay on the ground, not saying anything. Then at last he sat up, looked himself over, and then shouted in his shrill voice:
"Couldn't you have done it more carefully? You've dragged at my brown coat so that it's all torn! Look, it's full of holes! Clumsy creatures!" Then he got to his feet and again picked up a bag—full of all sorts of precious stones this time—and, once more without a word or a look to say Thank you, he slipped away among the rocks.
The two girls, who were, by this time, quite used to the dwarf's bad temper and rude ways, only laughed a little and went on their way to the town and thought no more of what had happened.
On the way home, when they had done their shopping and as they crossed the heath again, they decided to take a short cut, and there, near a flat piece of rock, they saw the dwarf. He had laid out all the precious stones that had been in his bag, on the flat rock, never thinking that anyone would come along so late. The evening sun shone on the bright jewels, which glistened and sparkled, green, blue and fiery red, while the diamonds flashed white. They looked so beautiful that the two girls stood still for a moment to look at them.
"Why do you stand there gaping?" cried the dwarf. "What are you doing here? Spying on me, I suppose!" His ash-grey face went copper-red with rage as he spoke and he began to shake his little fist at them. "Be off with you!"
Just as he finished screaming at them there was a sound like a deep growl, and what should come trotting round one of the rocks, but a large black bear. The dwarf who had been so bold and rude to the girls took fright at once, when he saw the bear, but he had no time to run, still less to gather up the rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, for the great animal was quite close.
"Dear Mr. Bear, spare me!" begged the dwarf, dropping to his knees and speaking in a voice that trembled with fright. "You can have all my treasure! You can have all these precious stones. Don't eat me! Eat these two great girls instead! They'll make you a lovely dinner! They're as fat as young quails. For mercy's sake, eat them!"
The bear, who had stood quite still while the dwarf was speaking, now gave another deep growl, reared up on his hind legs, then, with a heavy front paw, he gave the wicked little creature one blow. The blow would have killed a much heavier creature than the dwarf, who now lay there dead, sprawled across his stolen jewels.
While all this was going on and while the ungrateful dwarf was inviting the bear to eat them, the two girls had run off in a fright, but as they ran, they soon heard a familiar voice calling to them:
"Snow-White! Rose-Red! Don't be afraid! Wait for me!"
They then knew that the bear was none other than their old friend who had so often warmed himself at their fire and so, no longer afraid, but very much pleased, they waited for him. When he came up with them, great was their surprise when suddenly the rough bearskin fell off him, and before them there stood a handsome young man, all dressed in crimson and gold.
"I am a king's son," he said, "and I was bewitched by that wicked dwarf who had also stolen all my treasure. But now at last the spell is broken, and the dwarf has got the punishment he deserved."
So they all three started off home to the cottage to tell the girl's mother what had happened and a merry evening they all had when she had heard the tale.
Next day the Prince had to go back to his father, the King, but before he went he promised to come back in a year and a day.
Faithful to his word he did come back and not only did he come himself, but he brought with him his younger brother. The end of it was that he asked Snow-White to marry him, and Rose-Red was asked in marriage by his brother.
As soon as they were married they all four went in search of the stolen treasure which they felt sure the dwarf must have gathered together in his cave.
When they had found it, and when it was time for Snow-White and Rose-Red to go back with them to their father's kingdom, their old mother came too and with her she took the two rose trees that had stood for so long on either side of the path of the cottage.
She planted them again, one on each side of her window, and she watered them carefully. And now once more, every summer, for many years, they were both covered, thick, with beautiful roses—snow-white and rose-red.
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