than the
former piece. On the way Hansel broke his in his pocket, and stopping
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 along.

The mother led the children deep into the wood, where they had never
been before, and there making a gigantic fire, she said to them, "Sit
down here and rest, and when you feel tired you can sleep for a little
while. We are going into the forest to hew wood, and in the evening,
when we are ready, we will come and fetch you again."

When noon came, Grethel shared her bread with Hansel, who had strewn
his on the path. They then went to sleep; but the evening arrived and
no one came to visit the poor children, and in the dark night they
awoke, and Hansel comforted his sister by saying, "Only wait, Grethel,
till the moon comes out, then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I
have dropped, and they will show us the way home." The moon shone and
they got up, but they could not see any crumbs, for the thousands of
birds which had been flying about in the woods and fields had picked
them all up. Hansel kept saying to Grethel, "We will soon find the
way;" but they did not, and they walked the whole night long and the
next day, but still they did not come out of the wood; and they got
very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but the berries which they
found upon the bushes. Soon they were so tired that they could not
drag themselves along, then they lay down under a tree and again went
to sleep.

[Illustration: _Painted by Jennie Harbour_
HANSEL AND GRETHEL]

It was now the third morning since they had left their father's house,
and they still walked on; but they only got deeper, and deeper, and
deeper into the wood, and Hansel felt that if help did not come
very soon they must die of hunger. As soon as it was noon they saw a
beautiful, snow-white bird sitting upon a bough, singing so sweetly
that they stood still and listened to it. It soon ceased, and
spreading its wings flew off; and they followed it until it arrived at
a cottage, upon the roof of which it perched; and when they went close
up to it they saw that the cottage was made of bread and cakes, and
the window-panes were of clear sugar.