wo 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 so kind; she was in reality
a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the
little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell
into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast
day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have
a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near.
When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighbourhood, she laughed with
malice, and said mockingly: 'I have them, they shall not escape me
again!' Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was
already up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so
pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks she muttered to herself: 'That
will be a dainty mouthful!' Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled
hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a
grated door. Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to
Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: 'Get up, lazy thing, fetch
some water, and cook something good for your brother, he is in the
stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him.'
Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was
forced to do what the wicked witch commanded.

And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing
but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and
cried: 'Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon
be fat.' Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and
the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was
Hansel's finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening
him. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she
was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. 'Now, then,
Gretel,' she cried to the girl, 'stir yourself, and bring some water.
Let Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.' Ah,
how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water,
and how her tears did flow down her cheeks! 'Dear God, do help us,' she
cried. 'If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should
at any rate have died together.' 'Just keep your noise to yourself,'
said the old woman, 'it won't help y