which he had bound to a withered tree, so as to be blown to and fro by
the wind.

They waited so long, that at last their eyes closed from weariness, and
they fell fast asleep. When they awoke it was quite dark, and Gretel
began to cry, "How shall we get out of the wood?" But Hansel tried to
comfort her, saying, "Wait a little while till the moon rises, and then
we will quickly find the way."

The moon soon shone forth, and Hansel, taking his sister's hand,
followed the pebbles, which glittered like new-coined silver pieces, and
showed them the path. All night long they walked on, and as day broke
they came to their father's house. They knocked at the door, and when
the wife opened it and saw Hansel and Gretel, she exclaimed, "You wicked
children! why did you sleep so long in the wood? We thought you were
never coming home again." But their father was very glad, for it had
grieved his heart to leave them all alone.

Not long afterwards there was again great scarcity in every corner of
the land; and one night the children overheard their mother saying to
their father, "Everything is again eaten. We have only half a loaf left,
and then we must starve. The children must be sent away. We will take
them deeper into the wood, so that they may not find the way out again;
it is the only means of escape for us."

But her husband felt heavy at heart, and thought. "It were better to
share the last crust with the children." His wife, however, would listen
to nothing that he said, and scolded and reproached him without end.

Now the children had heard what had been said as they lay awake, and as
soon as the old people went to sleep Hansel got up, intending to pick up
some pebbles as before; but the wife had locked the door, so that he
could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted Gretel, saying, "Do not
cry; sleep in peace; the good God will not forsake us."

Early in the morning the stepmother came and pulled them out of bed, and
gave them each a slice of bread, which was still smaller than the one
they had last time. On the way Hansel broke his in his pocket, and,
stooping every now and then, dropped a crumb upon the path.

"Hansel, why do you stop and look about?" said the father. "Keep in the
path."

"I am looking at my little dove," answered Hansel, "nodding a good-bye
to me."

"Simpleton!" said the wife, "that is no dove, but only the sun shining
on the chimney."

But Hansel kept still dropping crumbs as he went al