Stranica 121 [121]
HANSEL AND GRETHEL. eae
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
fathers 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,
"c 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