Sending for June, Snow White took her into a corner and said, “My friend it is your duty to defend Alice, but I fear you will fail, because Alice has long wished to eat one of the dwarfs, to my certain knowledge. My opinion is that she has been unable to resist the desire. Yet her conviction would not bring back my dwarf, but only serve to make Jean and Robert unhappy. So I intend to have Alice found innocent, by employing a trick. I have already discussed my plan with a co-conspirator.”

Snow White produced Dopey, whose facial features were the most similar to Bashful’s and hoped that the giantesses could not tell the difference, given that such relatively small dwarfs would be hard for their giant eyes to recognise.

“Now June,” Snow White went on, “You must hide Dopey in some safe place. If the jury decides that Alice is guilty, you may then produce Dopey and allow them to believe that Dopey is Bashful.”

Snow White had forgotten one of the Ten Commandments that she had often read from the Bible: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” As harmless as it may have seemed to do so, it was still a sin, and any one sin was enough to meet with God’s disapproval. The true nature of sin was not in the practical effects of one’s behaviour, but in one’s conscious decision to reject God’s authority.

“I do not like to mislead the others,” said June, “But still my kind heart urges me to help Alice. So I shall do as you say, Snow White. Just tell me that you are sure that your idea is a fair one.”

“Of course it is,” said Snow White, “I’m the fairest in the land. It didn’t change after I came to this land, through a mirror from another land either.”

After some thought, June placed Dopey in her coat pocket and then buttoned her coat and went back to her room to think over her speech to the jury.

At three o’clock, the Throne Room was crowded with giantesses, all eager to witness the great trial.

The Queen, dressed in her most glamorous and splendid stately robes, sat in the magnificent throne. Alice sat in the dock and gazed at the crowds around her with seeming unconcern.

At a signal from the Queen, Forda spoke to the jury. 

“Your Royal Highness and Fellow Citizens,” she began, “The young girl you see here is accused of eating a cute little dwarf. The accused, who now sits before this court licking her lips with satisfaction, has long desired to eat the cute dwarf. Finally she made a plan to satisfy her craving. I can see her in my minds eye; creeping stealthily into the Queen’s dressing room, where she was alone with the dwarf Bashful. I see her pounce upon the innocent dwarf and eat it up.”

“Alice,” said the Queen, “What have you to say for yourself? Are you guilty or not guilty?”

“That’s for you to find out,” said Alice, “If you can prove I’m guilty, then I’m guilty. But a mind’s eye is no proof.”