t famine in the land, he could not
procure even his daily bread; and as he lay thinking in his bed one
evening, rolling about for trouble, he sighed, and said to his wife,
"What will become of us? How can we feed our children, when we have no
more than we can eat ourselves?"

"Know, then, my husband," answered she, "we will lead them away, quite
early in the morning, into the thickest part of the wood, and there
make them a fire, and give them each a little piece of bread; then we
will go to our work, and leave them alone, so they will not find the
way home again, and we shall be freed from them." "No, wife," replied
he, "that I can never do;, how can you bring your heart to leave my
children all alone in the wood; for the wild beasts will soon come and
tear them to pieces?"

"Oh, you simpleton!" said she, "then we must all four die of hunger;
you had better plane the coffins for us." But she left him no peace
till he consented, saying, "Ah, but I shall regret the poor children."

The two children, however, had not gone to sleep for very hunger, and
so they overheard what the stepmother said to their father. Grethel
wept bitterly, and said to Hansel, "What will become of us?" "Be quiet,
Grethel," said he; "do not cry--I will soon help you." And as soon as
their parents had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his coat, and,
unbarring the back door, slipped out. The moon shone brightly, and the
white pebbles which lay before the door seemed like silver pieces, they
glittered so brightly. Hansel stooped down, and put as many into his
pocket as it would hold; and then going back he said to Grethel, "Be
comforted, dear sister, and sleep in peace; God will not forsake us."
And so saying, he went to bed again.

The next morning, before the sun arose, the wife went and awoke the two
children. "Get up, you lazy things; we are going into the forest to
chop wood." Then she gave them each a piece of bread, saying, "There is
something for your dinner; do not eat it before the time, for you will
get nothing else." Grethel took the bread in her apron, for Hansel's
pocket was full of pebbles; and so they all set out upon their way.
When they had gone a little distance, Hansel stood still, and peeped
back at the house; and this he repeated several times, till his father
said, "Hansel, what are you peeping at, and why do you lag behind? Take
care, and remember your legs."

"Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my white cat sittin