The children were, however, still awake and had heard the conversation.
When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go
out and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked
the door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his
little sister, and said, “Do not cry, Grethel, go to sleep quietly, the
good God will help us.”
Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their
beds. Their bit of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller
than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in
his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.
“Hansel, why dost thou stop and look round?” said the father, “go on.”
“I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof,
and wants to say good-bye to me,” answered Hansel. “Simpleton!” said
the woman, “that is not thy little pigeon, that is the morning sun that
is shining on the chimney.” Hansel, however, little by little, threw
all the crumbs on the path.
The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had
never in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and
the mother said, “Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired
you may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and
in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.” When
it was noon, Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had
scattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening came and
went, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it
was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, “Just
wait, Grethel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs
of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home
again.” When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for
the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had
picked them all up. Hansel said to Grethel, “We shall soon find the
way,” but they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the
next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the
forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or
three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that
their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and
fell asleep.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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