Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and More Read Online Free PDF Page B

crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.

    “Hansel, why dost thou stop and look round?” said the father, “go on.”

    “I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me,” answered Hansel.

    “Simpleton!” said the woman, “that is not thy little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney.” Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path.

    The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before.

    Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said, “Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.”

    When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the way.

    Then they fell asleep and evening came and went, but no one came to the poor children.

    They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, “Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again.”

    When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs,

    for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up.

    Hansel said to Gretel, “We shall soon find the way,” but they did not find it.

    They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground.

    And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

    It was now three mornings since they had left their father’s house. They began to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it.

    And when it had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew away before them,

    and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they came quite up to the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.

    “We will set to work on that,” said Hansel, “and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and thou, Gretel, canst eat some of the window, it will taste sweet.”

    Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes.

    Then a soft voice cried from the room,
    “Nibble, nibble, gnaw, Who is nibbling at my little house?”

    The children answered,
    “The wind, the wind, The heaven-born wind,”

    and went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who thought the roof tasted very nice, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it.

    Suddenly the door opened, and a very, very old woman, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands.

    The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said, “Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you.” She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house.

    Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts.

    Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.

    The old woman had only pretended to be