They traveled all the next day, and late that night, they finally reached Molyneaux. But to Gaston's disappointment, all was dark and deserted as they rode into the village. Everyone was asleep in their homes. No one was around to be impressed as Gaston triumphantly returned with his beautiful rescued princess.
Tomorrow, then, he promised himself. I'll show her off tomorrow.
Snow White was tired after the long ride anyway – she was trying to stay awake, but he could see her nodding off. He lifted her off the horse and carried her into his house. She sleepily asked, "Where are we?"
"This is my house," he told her. Unlike the hunting lodge, his house had several bedrooms. He carried her into one and lay her on the bed. "This will be your room. Get some rest and I'll show you the village in the morning." She mumbled assent and fell back to sleep.
Gaston stabled and fed his horse and put the remainder of yesterday's boar in the storehouse. Then he went to bed himself, full of anticipation for the next day. He could picture it so clearly: everyone would be in the marketplace as he casually strolled up with Snow White. A resounding cheer would go up when the villagers saw that Gaston had returned, and then there would be a hubbub of excitement and curiosity as they noticed the stunningly gorgeous girl at his side, a girl they had never seen before! They would clamor for him to tell the story and marvel at his unparalleled heroism in rescuing the princess. He couldn't wait!
O- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o- o-
The next morning, Snow White woke up early. We're in Gaston's house! she realized, and jumped out of bed, eager to see her new home. She headed toward Gaston's room to wish him good morning and ask him to show her around.
But when she approached, she could hear his loud snoring even through the closed door. Oh, he's tired from the journey. I shouldn't wake him, she thought, and decided to explore the house on her own.
The first thing she noticed was that there were antlers everywhere. Nearly every wall was covered with mounted trophies! She was a bit taken aback at first, but upon thought, decided that Gaston had been right: people did have to eat, after all. He did say he used antlers in all of his decorating, she reminded herself. And it meant a lot to her that he had made a special effort the day before not to kill anything "cute" that would upset her, even though doing so had put his own life in danger. He's a very nice and thoughtful man, she decided. And he's obviously very good at hunting – naturally he's proud of his skill and wants to show it off.
The kitchen had a big fireplace for cooking, which was good; Snow White looked forward to using it. But there was dust everywhere! Snow White was shocked at how untidy the house was! True, Gaston had been traveling, which would account for the dust...but there were also unwashed plates piled in the sink left from who knew when, dirty clothes strewn all over, old beer stains on the table, cobwebs in every corner... Tsk, tsk, she thought, shaking her head. This won't do at all! Then she had an idea. Gaston has been so kind to me, saving my life and letting me stay here – I'll clean his house for him! I'll do it when he's out hunting so it will be a surprise!
"Good morning!" a booming voice came from behind her, startling her.
She turned. "Good morning, Gaston!" she said cheerfully. "I was just looking around your house. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all!" Gaston said magnanimously. "Make yourself at home." He waved his hand grandly around, indicating the large room. "This is the biggest house in the village!" he boasted. But then a look of uncertainty crossed his face. "Although...I suppose your castle must be a lot bigger and fancier."
"Well, since my stepmother took over, I've had to stay mostly in the cellar and the servants' quarters," she reminded him. "This is a lovely house! Thank you for letting me stay here."
He grinned, reassured. "It's my pleasure. Now, are you ready to see the village and meet everyone?"
She clapped her hands in excitement. "Yes! Just let me make myself presentable!"
But as she washed her face and hands, eager to make a good impression on her new neighbors, she realized in dismay that her dress was filthy from traveling.
"Oh, Gaston! I can't meet people looking like this!" she said in distress. "My dress is so dirty! I'll have to take it off...but oh! I haven't anything else to wear!"
An unexpected look came over Gaston's face at her words - almost like a child's who thought Christmas had come early. But then he shook his head firmly, as though dispelling a mental image.
"I think some of my mother's old clothes are still in one of the closets," he suggested. "Go see if there's anything you like."
"Are you sure she won't mind?" Snow White asked.
"No, she's dead," Gaston said matter-of-factly. "Both my parents died years ago."
Snow White was upset to hear that. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She touched his arm sympathetically. "I know how hard it is to lose a parent."
He seemed pleased at her touch. "Thank you," he said. "It's all right though, it's been a long time. Go look in the closets and pick out anything you like."
She found a number of nice dresses, and chose a simple yellow one to try on. The top fit her reasonably well, but the skirt was too long – Gaston's mother had been several inches taller than Snow White. "Do you have a sewing kit?" she asked Gaston.
"I don't know," he said, scratching his head. He obviously was a man who never had occasion to thread a needle. "Maybe in my mother's dresser?"
She rummaged through the dresser and triumphantly came up with a needle, a thimble, and several spools of thread. "There! This won't take long." She hemmed the dress, then went into the bedroom and tried it on again. "Do you think this will do?" she asked as she came out.
"Perfect," Gaston said admiringly. Then almost to himself, he murmured, "So...you're beautiful, you cook, you clean, AND you sew," as though checking off a list.
Snow White fluffed her hair and said, "All right! I'm ready to go!"
As they left the house and started toward the center of the village, three blonde girls unexpectedly rushed up to them, clamoring, "Oh, Gaston! We've been waiting for you!"
"We saw your horse and knew you must be back!"
"We missed you SO MUCH while you were gone!"
"Where did you go?"
They must be his friends, Snow White thought. How nice of them to welcome him back! She stood by politely while Gaston talked to the girls, not wanting to interrupt.
As she waited, she looked around, and noticed a bustle of people near a fountain– that must be the marketplace!
Fascinated, she drifted in that direction almost without realizing it, wanting to get a better look, and found herself in the midst of the throng. Everywhere there were vendors loudly proclaiming their wares, housewives haggling as they made their purchases, people pushing carts, children playing and running underfoot, animals scurrying about.
Snow White was enchanted to see all the activity – it was so lively! So different from the tomb-like castle of her stepmother the Queen, who abhorred chatter and insisted on respectful silence from her servants at all times. Snow White eagerly walked around, looking at everything. She was so caught up in all the sights and sounds that she didn't notice how the people she passed stopped to stare at her, then started whispering to each other and speculating on who she was.
A three-year-old boy who was trying to run after the older children tripped and fell, and let out a loud wail. Snow White immediately rushed over and picked up the child. "There, there," she soothed. "Did you hurt yourself?" He nodded tearfully, pointing to a scrape on his knee. "Oh, you poor dear!" Snow said. She took out a handkerchief and dipped it in the fountain, then washed off his scraped knee. "There now, all better! Can you smile for me?"
The little boy smiled, then said, "Maman!" as a heavyset woman wearing a kerchief approached.
Snow White put him down and smiled at the woman. "Is he yours? He's adorable!"
"Well...thank you," the woman said, a bit puzzled to see a stranger, but pleased by the compliment. "Are you new in town?"
Snow White nodded. "Yes! I just arrived last night!"
Immediately, several nearby men who had been watching with interest clustered around her, eagerly vying for her attention. "Do you need someone to show you around?" "I'd be happy to help!" "No, me!"
Snow White laughed. "Thank you all so much! Everyone is so friendly here!"
One of the men clustering around her was Lefou. Wow, she's gorgeous! he thought admiringly. But who am I kidding, a girl like that would never go for me. Then a thought occurred to him. I bet she'd go for Gaston though! It's too bad he's not here. A girl like that might cheer him up and get his mind off Belle!
Although Gaston had put on a good face for the villagers, Lefou knew he'd been feeling down in the dumps since the Belle incident. He'd been going off on hunting trips alone, disappearing for weeks at a time. Lefou kept telling Gaston to put Belle behind him and find someone new, but Gaston just wasn't interested in the same old village girls he'd seen all his life. But this new girl – she was just the type to catch Gaston's eye! If only Gaston were here!
Meanwhile, Gaston had been bragging to the blonde triplets about his exploits, ending with his triumphant rescue of the beautiful princess. "Of course, I couldn't leave the poor girl in danger, so I brought her back here with me to the village," he finished with a flourish.
"You brought a pretty girl here?" one triplet said in dismay. That was all they needed: more competition!
"So where is she?" the second wanted to know.
"Right here," Gaston said, turning to his side to introduce Snow White. But she was no longer there. Gaston frowned. "Snow?" he called.
The triplets seized their opportunity. "Too bad, looks like she left. Why don't you spend the day with us instead?" they cooed, circling around him and rubbing up against him like cats.
Gaston shook them off. "No, I have to find her!" He strode toward the marketplace, his keen eyes searching for a glimpse of black hair and red ribbon.
He didn't see her, but he did see all the villagers gathering around something, so he pushed his way through the crowd to see what was up. In the center of the gathering was Snow White, who was saying, "Yes, I DO expect to live here for quite a while! Thank you so much for welcoming me!"
Gaston couldn't believe it. HE was supposed to be the one to present her to the town! Everyone was supposed to be admiring HIM for rescuing her! But instead, they were so enthralled by Snow White that no one even noticed he was there!
Except Lefou, who spied him and said happily, "Gaston! You're back! And look – there's a new girl in town! Isn't that great?"
"I know that already!" Gaston said, outraged. "I brought her here!"
"You did?" Lefou said in confusion.
"Snow White!" Gaston said sharply, trying to get her attention. "Why did you disappear like that? I turned around and you were gone!"
"Oh! I'm sorry," Snow White said contritely. "I could see the village right up ahead, and I was SO eager to go explore it. But you were busy talking with your pretty blonde friends, and I didn't want to interrupt your conversation."
"Well, don't do that again," Gaston said, a bit grumpily. "I'm supposed to be protecting you. I can't protect you if you go wandering off!"
"Protect you from what?" asked Monique, a girl with honey-colored curls.
"Yes, what? Is someone after you?" one of the blonde triplets asked hopefully. "Someone who might take you away from the village?"
"Oh, it's even worse than that!" Snow White told them. "My stepmother the Queen is trying to kill me!"
Everyone gasped in horror. "Kill you?" squeaked Lefou.
"That's awful!" cried the baker.
"We can't let that happen!" shouted the butcher. All the men made noises of agreement.
"Wait a minute...did you say Queen?" asked the second triplet. "Does that mean you're a princess?" Snow White nodded.
"Wow," Lefou said in amazement. "A real princess! In our village!"
"Tell us everything!" begged Marie, the baker's wife, who loved to gossip.
Gaston was practically beside himself. All the villagers were leaning forward, hanging on Snow White's every word, eager for the story...and ignoring Gaston completely. It was infuriating! It was unheard of!
"Well," Snow White began, "my father was the king of our land, which is the next kingdom over from yours. My mother died when I was a baby, but my father and I were very close. We lived happily in our castle, and he ruled the kingdom. Then, my father remarried. My stepmother seemed to treat me well at first, but then my father died, and she became Queen. She took away my nice clothes and gave me rags to wear, and she made me sleep in the cellar, and work as a scullery maid."
"Oh, no!" said Monique sympathetically.
"That's awful!" agreed Marie.
"I didn't mind the work," Snow White went on. "I like cooking and cleaning. I was only sad that my stepmother didn't like me. Then, a few days ago, the Queen's huntsman offered to take me into the forest to pick wildflowers. I like flowers, so I went. And then..." Her voice trembled at the memory. "He raised a knife over my head. He was going to kill me!"
The villagers all gasped in horror.
"I was SO frightened! But then..." Her voice warmed, and she looked over at Gaston with a smile. "Then...just as he was about to strike the fatal blow...a handsome, brave hero came along and rescued me!"
"Really? Who?" Lefou asked excitedly.
That was the last straw. "ME!" Gaston burst out in exasperation. "Who else?" Startled by his outburst, everyone turned to look at him.
"Oh, of course! I should've known!" Lefou said apologetically.
"Yes, it was Gaston!" Snow White confirmed. All eyes swiveled back to her as she went on. "He fought the huntsman so bravely, and rescued me, and then he brought me here to keep me safe!"
"No one saves damsels in distress like Gaston!" Lefou said loyally, trying to make up for his earlier mistake.
Gaston was slightly mollified by the praise...but the whole scene had not gone as he had envisioned, and he was disgruntled. Snow White had been the center of attention the entire time while Gaston was completely ignored...and then FINALLY, at the very end, they belatedly remembered that he was the hero of the story. He hadn't even had the satisfaction of telling the story himself!
And he definitely did not like the appreciative way all the men were eyeing Snow White, like cats eyeing a bowl of cream. Mine! Gaston thought firmly, like a toddler. He stepped up and put his arm around her possessively. "Yes. I'm going to be her protector and keep her safe. No one's going to bother Snow White while I'm around!" he announced, glaring around at all the men to make sure they got the message. They did, and quickly looked away or down at the ground.
"Thank you!" Snow White said happily, oblivious to all subtext. "I feel so safe with you to protect me!"
With the story over, the villagers gradually drifted back to their daily chores. Snow White asked, "Gaston, may I buy some food for the house? I'd love to make you that gooseberry pie I promised."
"Of course!" Gaston said, glad that her thoughts were turning to ways to make him happy. "And why don't we stop at the seamstress as well? You can get some new clothes."
"Really?" Snow White said delightedly. "Are you sure? You don't have to spend money on me - I can just wear the dresses from your mother. I don't mind!"
"Nonsense!" Gaston said. He certainly wasn't going to have his future bride walking around in his mother's old clothes! "You're a beautiful girl, and a princess - you should have your own dresses, not hand-me-downs."
"Well, my stepmother dressed me in rags, so I'm happy with ANY dresses, even hand-me-downs," Snow White assured him.
"Even so, you're getting new clothes," Gaston insisted. After all, as his chosen bride, Snow White's appearance reflected on him. Besides, he wanted her to know that even though he wasn't royalty, he would still be an excellent provider, and that with him, she would want for nothing. "I can afford it, don't worry. So, you go ahead and buy whatever you want today – money is no object!"
"Oh, thank you!" Snow White squealed happily, throwing her arms around him and hugging him. "You are a very generous man!"
Gaston grinned. "Yes, I am," he agreed, his mood improved by her gratitude.
As they entered the dressmaker's shop, the seamstress immediately hurried over. "Is it true what I heard, miss? You're a real princess?" She made a quick curtsey.
Gaston proclaimed, "Yes, she is, and I'm here to buy her the finest dresses you have!"
The seamstress brought out a few sample dresses. "These are the kind of dresses I make for the village women," she said, almost apologetically. "I'm sure a princess needs something much fancier, but whatever you need, I'll do my best for you! I can try to order silk, or satin, or whatever you want-"
"Oh, please don't go to any trouble!" Snow White assured her. "Besides, I wouldn't want to wear something fancier than everyone else – why, it would be rude and look like I was showing off! I want to fit in here."
Gaston looked at her consideringly. On the one hand, if she married him, he definitely would want to show her off with fancy clothes. But on the other hand, he was pleased to hear that she wanted to fit in with the villagers – it meant she was more likely to be happy here with him, not pining for castles and princes. Plus, it was a refreshing change from Belle, who had never fit in with the people in the village and always had her head in her books.
Snow White held up one of the sample dresses admiringly. "This is lovely! I'd be very happy with a dress like this! And my goodness, what tiny stitches – why, you can hardly see them! You do beautiful work."
The seamstress beamed at the compliment. "Thank you! Now let's take your measurements."
As they took measurements and discussed fabrics and colors and patterns, Gaston began to get restless. He had thought this would be a quick errand, but it was taking forever! All the feminine talk was boring him to tears. Plus it was also a bit humiliating – he was a MAN, after all. What was he doing in this girly place, standing around awkwardly, while his future wife tried on dresses? He fidgeted, eager to get out of there.
Snow White looked over at him. Always empathetic, she said kindly, "Gaston, this must be very dull for you. You don't need to stay here. Why don't you go out hunting?"
Gaston brightened. "Are you sure? You won't mind?"
"Of course," Snow White assured him. "I'll be fine here, and I can meet you back at your house afterward."
Gaston definitely wanted to go hunting, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave her alone. After thinking about it for a moment, he had an idea. He went outside the shop and called for Lefou, who came running immediately. "What do you need, Gaston?" Lefou asked.
Gaston handed him a bag of money. Lefou's eyes widened. "Wow! Is that for me?"
"No, of course not!" Gaston snapped. "Snow White is spending the day shopping. I want you to chaperone her. Whatever she wants to buy, you pay for it with that money. Carry her packages and whatever else she needs. If any men try to flirt with her, make it clear to them that she's with me, and report back to me to let me know. And if any strangers come to town looking for her, come find me immediately! And bring her WITH you if you come find me - I don't want to come home and find she's been kidnapped! Understand?"
Lefou nodded enthusiastically. "Got it! No problem, Gaston! I'll stick to her like glue!" He couldn't believe his luck. Being ordered to spend the entire day with a stunningly gorgeous girl – it was by far the best chore Gaston had ever ordered him to do! Much more fun than standing outside Belle's house in the snow! he thought.
Gaston brought Lefou into the seamstress shop. "Snow, this is Lefou. He's going to accompany you today and carry your packages. I gave him money, so whatever you want to buy, just tell him and he'll pay for it. You should be safe here in the village, since the Queen doesn't know you're here, but if any danger does come up, Lefou will bring you to me immediately. All right?"
Snow White nodded, then smiled at Lefou. "It's so nice of you to help me out, Lefou! Thank you!" she told him.
Lefou gave her a goofy grin. "Any time!"
Satisfied that his girl was in good hands, Gaston headed out to the woods.
The seamstress said, "Well, I think we're all finished here. I'll have the dresses for you by Friday."
"Thank you! It was a pleasure to meet you!" Snow White said happily.
Lefou paid for the dresses. When he and Snow White were outside, Snow White suddenly bent down and whispered to him, "Do you want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?"
"Sure!" Lefou said eagerly. Beautiful girls whispering secrets to him didn't happen every day.
Snow White whispered, "I'm going to give Gaston a surprise! He's been so nice to me, I want to do something for him. So while he's out hunting, I'm going to clean his whole house from top to bottom till it sparkles, and wash all his clothes, and make him a special dinner with gooseberry pie for dessert!"
"Wow! He'll love that!" Lefou said enthusiastically.
"But first I have to buy all the food for the special dinner," Snow White went on.
"Okay!" Lefou said. "Well, there's the butcher over there-" He pointed. "And there's the bakery..." He pointed again. "And then in the marketplace, there are stalls where you can buy fish and fruits and vegetables and spices and things like that."
"Oh, goody!" Snow White clapped her hands. "This will be so much fun! Let's get started!"
They went methodically around the village, buying the food, with Lefou paying out of Gaston's money bag.
Lefou was fascinated to see how Snow White interacted with the villagers. I would've thought a princess would be stuck up, but Snow White's not at all! he thought. At every shop and stall, she wished the proprietor a cheerful good morning, exclaimed admiringly over the stock, and asked advice about what would be best to buy. Their progress was slow because Snow White kept getting into conversations with everyone they passed. She showed a genuine interest in the villagers and their lives, constantly saying how happy she was to be there and thanking everyone for being so nice to her.
When an apple fell off the cart, Snow White was the first to pick it up, dust it off, and return it. When the baker had trouble opening the door while balancing a tray of loaves, Snow White ran to hold the door for him.
As she and Lefou passed a woman who was trying to buy eggs while simultaneously struggling to hold three squirming, crying babies, Snow White went over to her and asked, "May I hold your babies for you? You look like you have your hands full!" Gratefully, the woman passed the babies to her. Snow White cooed and sang to them and rocked them until they were sleeping peacefully, allowing the mother to finish her shopping. "Oh, they're so cute!" she told the woman as she handed the babies back. "How lucky you are to have THREE sweet little babies!"
"Thank you!" the mother said, beaming. No longer feeling harried and exhausted, she proudly took her children home.
As they continued to make their way around the marketplace and shops, Lefou noticed the villagers all whispering among themselves and pointing at Snow White. It reminded him of the way everyone used to talk about Belle when she walked around the village. But the comments he overheard about Snow White were far more complimentary than they had been about Belle:
"Look, there she goes, that girl's so kind and thoughtful!"
"So full of sweetness, joy and light!"
"She's the fairest in the land!" "Always lends a helping hand!"
"What a beautiful and special girl, Snow White!"
When all the shopping was done and Lefou was laden down with bags and packages, they were ready to head back to Gaston's house. But first, Snow White turned back toward the marketplace and waved merrily, calling "Goodbye, everyone! Thank you for all your help!"
"Goodbye, Snow White!" "Glad to help!" "See you soon!" the villagers called back. Everyone was feeling so much happier and more cheerful than usual, as though Snow White's visit had brought a bit of sunshine into their lives.
Snow White skipped ahead like a child, humming to herself. Then she paused to look at Lefou, who was struggling to carry all the packages. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"she apologized. "How rude of me! Let me help you carry those."
"Oh, no, it's okay!" Lefou said quickly, wanting to appear manly, or at least competent. "I can do it, it's no trouble at all!"
"Well, all right, if you're sure. That's very nice of you!" Snow White said.
When they entered Gaston's house, Snow White put all the groceries away, then set about making a dinner of split pea soup, homemade bread, steak au poivre, potatoes au gratin, and gooseberry pie. Lefou helped her by chopping and dicing as she showed him what to do.
Once the food was cooking in the oven or bubbling on the stove, Snow White said, "Now, to clean the house!" She went over to the window and looked out, musing, "I wonder if...but no."
"What is it?" Lefou asked curiously.
"Well," she explained, "the animals in the forest always come when I sing to them, and I'm sure they would help me clean the house if I asked them."
"Really?" Lefou was amazed. "Let's see it!"
She shook her head. "I don't think it's a good idea here," she said regretfully. "This house is in the middle of town, not in a forest. The villagers might be frightened if dozens of animals suddenly came out of the forest and started running through the village. And the men here are hunters –why, they might shoot my little animal friends! That would be terrible!" She shuddered. "Besides, I think my animal friends would be upset if they came into this house and saw all these antlers on the wall! I wouldn't want them to feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, that's true," Lefou acknowledged. "If I were a deer, Gaston's house is the LAST place I'd ever wanna be!"
"Exactly!" Snow White said. "But no worries! I'll have this place cleaned up in a jiffy! You'll help me, won't you?"
"Of course!" Lefou said loyally.
First, Snow White gathered up all Gaston's dirty clothes, and she and Lefou took them to the river to wash them. When they were all clean, she pinned them up on the clothesline in back of Gaston's house to dry in the sun and wind.
Then they went back inside and set about dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing. Snow White began to sing,
"Just whistle while you work
Put on that grin and start right in to whistle loud and long
Just hum a merry tune
Just do your best and take a rest and sing yourself a song.
When there's too much to do
Don't let it bother you, forget your troubles,
Try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee.
And whistle while you work
Come on get smart, tune up and start
To whistle while you work!"
Lefou joined in by whistling when the song called for it. He was having such a great time, spending the day in the company of such a friendly and beautiful girl, that the work seemed to fly by. Before he knew it, the house was sparkling clean.
"Look! We did it!" Snow White said happily.
"Yep! We sure did!" Lefou agreed proudly. "Gaston's house hasn't looked this clean since his mom was around!"
By now, it was late afternoon. Snow White and Lefou went outside and took the clean laundry off the line.
Just as they brought the clothes inside, there was a crack of thunder, and suddenly it began to rain heavily. The room became dark as thunderclouds covered the sun. Lefou went to make a fire in the fireplace and light the candles, and soon the house was warm with flickering firelight.
"Thank you," Snow White said gratefully. She folded Gaston's clothes and put them neatly in his dresser drawers. Then she made some tea, and she and Lefou sat companionably drinking tea and eating biscuits. "It's so nice and cozy in here, isn't it? But poor Gaston! He must be getting wet out there in the forest!"
"Naw, Gaston's tough, he can handle a little rain," Lefou said, knowing his friend would want to appear impervious to the elements. "Anyway, he'll be happy when he sees what a great job you did on the house and the dinner."
"Do you really think so?" she asked hopefully. Lefou nodded, and she beamed, saying, "Oh, goody! I really want to give him a nice surprise, since he's been so nice to me!"
Finally the rain began to die down. Snow White checked on the food. It was finished cooking, and just needed some seasoning and other preparations to be complete. The gooseberry pie was done, and she took it out of the oven to cool.
"Mmm, that smells wonderful!" Lefou said, his mouth watering. "Gaston is gonna love it! Well, it's getting late, I should go now. Gaston will be home soon."
"Wait! I have a surprise for you too!" Snow White said.
Lefou stared at her. "You do?"
She nodded and reached into the oven, pulling out a smaller version of the gooseberry pie. "Look!" she said happily. "I made a little pie just for you!" .
Lefou couldn't believe it. "Wow...you did that for me?" he said, touched.
"Of course! It's the least I can do after you helped me so much today," she said. She wrapped it in a cloth and handed it to him.
"Gosh! Thanks!" Lefou said, delighted.
Snow White walked him to the door. "Thank you again for all your help today!" she said.
Then, to his astonishment, she leaned forward and planted a motherly kiss on top of his head. Lefou turned bright red. "Gosh..." he said with a goofy grin, embarrassed but pleased.
"Now, you be careful going home. It might be slippery with all the rain," Snow White cautioned. "Goodbye, Lefou! Thank you again!"
"Bye, Snow White!" Lefou said, carefully carrying the pie as he left.
That was one of the best days of my life! he thought happily. Gaston's sure lucky to have a girl like that! I hope he asks me to help her out ALL the time!
In a buoyant mood, he headed for home, the delicious smell of the pie accompanying him all the way. He couldn't wait to get home and eat it!