| Hansel and Grethel Near a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter and his wife , and his two children ; the boy 's name was Hansel and the girl 's Grethel . They had very little to bite or to sup , and once , when there was great dearth in the land , the man could not even gain the daily bread . As he lay in bed one night thinking of this , and turning and tossing , he sighed heavily , and said to his wife , “ What will become of us ? we cannot even feed our children ; there is nothing left for ourselves . ” “ I will tell you what , husband , ” answered the wife ; “ we will take the children early in the morning into the forest , where it is thickest ; we will make them a fire , and we will give each of them a piece of bread , then we will go to our work and leave them alone ; they will never find the way home again , and we shall be quit of them . ” “ No , wife , ” said the man , “ I cannot do that ; I cannot find in my heart to take my children into the forest and to leave them there alone ; the wild animals would soon come and devour them . ” “ O you fool , ” said she , “ then we will all four starve ; you had better get the coffins ready , ” and she left him no peace until he consented . “ But I really pity the poor children , ” said the man . The two children had not been able to sleep for hunger , and had heard what their step-mother had said to their father . Grethel wept bitterly , and said to Hansel , “ It is all over with us . ” “ Do be quiet , Grethel , ” said Hansel , “ and do not fret ; 1 will manage something . ” And when the parents had gone to sleep he got up , put on his little coat , opened the back door , and slipped out . The moon was shining brightly , and the white flints that lay in front of the house glistened like pieces of silver . Hansel stooped and filled the little pocket of his coat as full as it would hold . Then he went back again , and said to Grethel , “ Be easy , dear little sister , and go to sleep quietly ; God will not forsake us , ” and laid himself down again in his bed . When the day was breaking , and before the sun had risen , the wife came and awakened the two children , saying , “ Get up , you lazy bones ; we are going into the forest to cut wood . ” Then she gave each of them a piece of bread , and said , “ That is for dinner , and you must not eat it before then , for you will get no more . ” Grethel carried the bread under her apron , for Hansel had his pockets full of the flints . Then they set off all together on their way to the forest . When they had gone a little way Hansel stood still and looked back towards the house , and this he did again and again , till his father said to him , “ Hansel , what are you looking at ? take care not to forget your legs . ” “ O father , ” said Hansel , “ lam looking at my little white kitten , who is sitting up on the roof to bid me good-bye . ” “ You young fool , ” said the woman , “ that is not your kitten , but the sunshine on the chimney-pot . ” Of course Hansel had not been looking at his kitten , but had been taking every now and then a flint from his pocket and dropping it on the road . When they reached the middle of the forest the father told the children to collect wood to make a fire to keep them , warm ; and Hansel and Grethel gathered brushwood enough for a little mountain j and it was set on fire , and when the flame was burning quite high the wife said , “ Now lie down by the fire and rest yourselves , you children , and we will go and cut wood ; and when we are ready we will come and fetch you . ” So Hansel and Grethel sat by the fire , and at noon they each ate their pieces of bread . They thought their father was in the wood all the time , as they seemed to hear the strokes of the axe : but really it was only a dry branch hanging to a withered tree that the wind moved to and fro . So when they had stayed there a long time their eyelids closed with weariness , and they fell fast asleep . When at last they woke it was night , and Grethel began to cry , and said , “ How shall we ever get out of this wood ? “ But Hansel comforted her , saying , “ Wait a little while longer , until the moon rises , and then we can easily find the way home . ” And when the full moon got up Hansel took his little sister by the hand , and followed the way where the flint stones shone like silver , and showed them the road . They walked on the whole night through , and at the break of day they came to their father 's house . They knocked at the door , and when the wife opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Grethel she said , “ You naughty children , why did you sleep so long in the wood ? we thought you were never coming home again ! ” But the father was glad , for it had gone to his heart to leave them both in the woods alone . Not very long after that there was again great scarcity in those parts , and the children heard their mother say at night in bed to their father , “ Everything is finished up ; we have only half a loaf , and after that the tale comes to an end . The children must be off ; we will take them farther into the wood this time , so that they shall not be able to find the way back again ; there is no other way to manage . ” The man felt sad at heart , and he thought , “ It would better to share one 's last morsel with one 's children . ” But the wife would listen to nothing that he said , but scolded and reproached him . He who says A must say B too , and when a man has given in once he has to do it a second time . But the children were not asleep , and had heard all the talk . When the parents had gone to sleep Hansel got up to go out and get more flint stones , as he did before , but the wife had locked the door , and Hansel could not get out ; but he comforted his little sister , and said , “ Do n't cry , Grethel , and go to sleep quietly , and God will help us . ” Early the next morning the wife came and pulled the children out of bed . She gave them each a little piece of “ bread -less than before ; and on the way to the wood Hansel crumbled the bread in his pocket , and often stopped to throw a crumb on the ground . “ Hansel , what are you stopping behind and staring for ? ” said the father . “ I am looking at my little pigeon sitting on the roof , to say good-bye to me , ” answered Hansel . “ You fool , ” said the wife , “ that is no pigeon , but the morning sun shining on the chimney pots . ” Hansel went on as before , and strewed bread crumbs all along the road . The woman led the children far into the wood , where they had never been before in all their lives . And again there was a large fire made , and the mother said , “ Sit still there , you children , and when you are tired you can go to sleep ; we are going into the forest to cut wood , and in the evening , when we are ready to go home we will come and fetch you . ” So when noon came Grethel shared her bread with Hansel , who had strewed his along the road . Then they went to sleep , and the evening passed , and no one came for the poor children . When they awoke it was dark night , and Hansel comforted his little sister , and said , “ Wait a little , Grethel , until the moon gets up , then we shall be able to see the way home by the crumbs of bread that I have scattered along it . ” So when the moon rose they got up , but they could find no crumbs of bread , for the birds of the woods and of the fields had come and picked them up . Hansel thought they might find the way all the same , but they could not . They went on all that night , and the next day from the morning until the evening , but they could not find the way out of the wood , and they were very hungry , for they had nothing to eat but the few berries they could pick up . And when they were so tired that they could no longer drag themselves along , they lay down under a tree and fell asleep . It was now the third morning since they had left their father 's house . They were always trying to get back to it , but instead of that they only found themselves farther in the wood , and if help had not soon come they would have been starved . About noon they saw a pretty snow-white bird sitting on a bough , and singing so sweetly that they stopped to listen . And when he had finished the bird spread his wings and flew before them , and they followed after him until they came to a little house , and the bird perched on the roof , and when they came nearer they saw that the house was built of bread , and roofed with cakes ; and the window was of transparent sugar . “ We will have some of this , ” said Hansel , “ and make a fine meal . I will eat a piece of the roof , Grethel , and you can have some of the window-that will taste sweet . ” So Hansel reached up and broke off a bit of the roof , just to see how it tasted , and Grethel stood by the window and gnawed at it . Then they heard a thin voice call out from inside , “ Nibble , nibble , like a mouse , Who is nibbling at my house ? ” And the children answered , “ Never mind , It is the wind . ” And they went on eating , never disturbing themselves . Hansel , who found that the roof tasted very nice , took down a great piece of it , and Grethel pulled out a large round window-pane , and sat her down and began upon it . Then the door opened , and an aged woman came out , leaning upon a crutch . Hansel and Grethel felt very frightened , and let fall what they had in their hands . The old woman , however , nodded her head , and said , “ Ah , my dear children , how come you here ? you must come indoors and stay with me , you will be no trouble . ” So she took them each by the hand , and led them into her little house . And there they found a good meal laid out , of milk and pancakes , with sugar , apples , and nuts . After that she showed them two little white beds , and Hansel and Grethel laid themselves down on them , and thought they were in heaven . The old woman , although her behaviour was so kind , was a wicked witch , who lay in wait for children , and had built the little house on purpose to entice them . When they were once inside she used to kill them , cook them , and eat them , and then it was a feast day with her . The witch 's eyes were red , and she could not see very far , but she had a keen scent , like the beasts , and knew very well when human creatures were near . When she knew that Hansel and Grethel were coming , she gave a spiteful laugh , and said triumphantly , “ I have them , and they shall not escape me ! ” Early in the morning , before the children were awake , she got up to look at them , and as they lay sleeping so peacefully with round rosy cheeks , she said to herself , “ What a fine feast I shall have ! ” Then she grasped Hansel with her withered hand , and led him into a little stable , and shut him up behind a grating ; and call and scream as he might , it was no good . Then she went back to Grethel and shook her , crying , “ Get up , lazy bones ; fetch water , and cook something nice for your brother ; he is outside in the stable , and must be fattened up . And when he is fat enough I will eat him . ” Grethel began to weep bitterly , but it was of no use , she had to do what the wicked witch bade her . And so the best kind of victuals was cooked for poor Hansel , while Grethel got nothing but crab-shells . Each morning the old woman visited the little stable , and cried , “ Hansel , stretch out your finger , that I may tell if you will soon be fat enough . ” Hansel , however , used to hold out a little bone , and the old woman , who had weak eyes , could not see what it was , and supposing it to be Hansel 's finger , wondered very much that it was not getting fatter . When four weeks had passed and Hansel seemed to remain so thin , she lost patience and could wait no longer . “ Now then , Grethel , ” cried she to the little girl ; “ be quick and draw water ; be Hansel fat or be he lean , tomorrow I must kill and cook him . ” Oh what a grief for the poor little sister to have to fetch water , and how the tears flowed down over her cheeks ! “ Dear God , pray help us ! ” cried she ; “ if we had been devoured by wild beasts in the wood at least we should have died together . ” “ Spare me your lamentations , ” said the old woman ; “ they are of no avail . ” Early next morning Grethel had to get up , make the fire , and fill the kettle . “ First we will do the baking , ” said the old woman ; “ I nave heated the oven already , and kneaded the dough . ” She pushed poor Grethel towards the oven , out of which the flames were already shining . “ Creep in , ” said the witch , “ and see if it is properly hot , so that the bread may be baked . ” And Grethel once in , she meant to shut the door upon her and let her be baked , and then she would have eaten her . But Grethel perceived her intention , and said , “ I do n't know how to do it : how shall I get in ? ” “ Stupid goose , ” said the old woman , “ the opening is big enough , do you see ? I could get in myself ! ” and she stooped down and put her head in the oven 's mouth . Then Grethel gave her a push , so that she went in farther , and she shut the iron door upon her , and put up the bar . Oh how frightfully she howled ! but Grethel ran away , and left the wicked witch to burn miserably . Grethel went straight to Hansel , opened the stable-door , and cried , “ Hansel , we are free ! the old witch is dead ! ” Then out flew Hansel like a bird from its cage as soon as the door is opened . How rejoiced they both were ! how they fell each on the other 's neck ! and danced about , and kissed each other ! And as they had nothing more to fear they went over all the old witch 's house , and in every corner there stood chests of pearls and precious stones . “ This is something better than flint stones , ” said Hansel , as he filled his pockets , and Grethel , thinking she also would like to carry something home with her , filled her apron full . i ! Now , away we go , ” said Hansel , ” if we only can get out of the witch 's wood . ” When they had journeyed a few hours they came to a great piece of water . “ We can never get across this , ” said Hansel , “ I see no stepping-stones and no bridge . ” “ And there is no boat either , ” said Grethel ; “ but here comes a white duck ; if I ask her she will help us over . ” So she cried , “ Duck , duck , here we stand , Hansel and Grethel , on the land , Stepping-stones and bridge we lack , Carry us over on your nice white back . ” And the duck came accordingly , and Hansel got upon her and told his sister to come too . “ No , ” answered Grethel , “ that would be too hard upon the duck ; we can go separately , one after the other . ” And that was how it was managed , and after that they went on happily , until they came to the wood , and the way grew more and more familiar , till at last they saw in the distance their father 's house . Then they ran till they came up to it , rushed in at the door , and fell on their father 's neck . The man had not had a quiet hour since he left his children in the wood ; but the wife was dead . And when Grethel opened her apron the pearls and precious stones were scattered all over the room , and Hansel took one handful after another out of his pocket . Then was all care at an end , and they lived in great joy together . My tale is done , there runs a mouse , whosoever catches it , may make himself a big fur cap out of it . |