art 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 miss 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 help you." And as
soon as their parents had gone to sleep, he got up, put on his coat,
and, unbarring the back door, went 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 of good cheer, 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 looking at, and why do you lag
behind? Take care, and remember your legs."

"Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my white cat sitting upon
the roof of the house, and trying to say good-bye."

"You simpleton!" said the wife, "that is not a cat; it is only the sun
shining on the white chimney." But in reality Hansel was not looking
at a cat; but every time he stopped, he dropped a pebble out of his
pocket upon the path.

When they came to the middle of the forest, the father told the
children to collect wood, and he would make them a fire, so that they
should not be cold. So Hansel and Grethel gathered together quite a
little mount of twigs. Then they set fire to them; and as the flame
burnt up high, the wife said, "Now, you children, lie down near the
fire, and rest yourselves, whilst we go into the f