m every hole and corner in the hut mice came
pattering along the floor, squeaking and saying:

'Little girl, why are your eyes so red?
If you want help, then give us some bread.'

And the girl gave them the bread that her grandmother had given her.
Then the mice told her that the witch had a cat, and the cat was very
fond of ham; if she would give the cat her ham, it would show her the
way out of the wood, and in the meantime they would spin the yarn for
her. So the girl set out to look for the cat, and, as she was hunting
about, she met her brother, in great trouble because he could not carry
water from the well in a sieve, as it came pouring out as fast as he
put it in. And as she was trying to comfort him they heard a rustling of
wings, and a flight of wrens alighted on the ground beside them. And the
wrens said:

'Give us some crumbs, then you need not grieve.

For you'll find that water will stay in the sieve.'

Then the twins crumbled their bread on the ground, and the wrens pecked
it, and chirruped and chirped. And when they had eaten the last crumb
they told the boy to fill up the holes of the sieve with clay, and then
to draw water from the well. So he did what they said, and carried the
sieve full of water into the hut without spilling a drop. When they
entered the hut the cat was curled up on the floor. So they stroked her,
and fed her with ham, and said to her:

'Pussy, grey pussy, tell us how we are to get away from the witch?'

Then the cat thanked them for the ham, and gave them a
pocket-handkerchief and a comb, and told them that when the witch
pursued them, as she certainly would, all they had to do was to throw
the handkerchief on the ground and run as fast as they could. As soon as
the handkerchief touched the ground a deep, broad river would spring up,
which would hinder the witch's progress. If she managed to get across
it, they must throw the comb behind them and run for their lives, for
where the comb fell a dense forest would start up, which would delay the
witch so long that they would be able to get safely away.

The cat had scarcely finished speaking when the witch returned to see if
the children had fulfilled their tasks.

'Well, you have done well enough for to-day,' she grumbled; 'but
to-morrow you'll have something more difficult to do, and if you don't
do it well, you pampered brats, straight into the oven you go.'

Half-dead with fright,